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Discover top-rated free SEO audit tools to enhance your website's performance. Explore a comprehensive selection of software designed to analyze and optimize your site's SEO metrics efficiently. From keyword research to technical analysis, uncover valuable insights to boost your online presence and drive organic traffic. Elevate your SEO strategy with these essential tools.
#SEO audit tools#Free website SEO tools#Website audit checklist#Website optimization tools#Website performance analysis#Search engine optimization tools#free SEO analysis tools
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How to Use a Keyword Ranking Tool to Boost Traffic
Learn how to use a keyword ranking tool to grow your website traffic, improve SEO, and increase conversions. Easy tips and tools explained step by step. How to Use a Keyword Ranking Tool to Boost Traffic and Conversions Want to learn how to use a keyword ranking tool to get more visitors and sales? Keyword ranking tools let you see how well your website shows up in search results for specific…
#AIOSEO keyword tracker#boost conversions#competitor keyword analysis#content performance#how to use keyword ranking tools#improve SEO strategy#increase website traffic#keyword intent#keyword performance#keyword rank tracker#keyword ranking tool#related keywords#search engine rankings#SEO keyword tracking#track keyword rankings
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The Power of SEO: Why Analysis and Reporting are Key to Website Success
In today's digital landscape, a strong online presence is crucial for business success. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) plays a vital role in achieving this, ensuring your website ranks high in search engine results and attracts the right audience. But simply having a website isn't enough. To truly harness the power of SEO, you need consistent analysis and reporting.

Why SEO Analysis Matters
SEO analysis is the process of evaluating your website's performance in search engines. It involves examining various factors, including:
Keyword Rankings: Where your website appears in search results for relevant keywords.
Organic Traffic: The number of visitors who find your website through search engines.
Backlinks: Links from other websites to yours, which are a strong indicator of authority and credibility.
Website Speed: How quickly your website loads, a critical factor for user experience and search engine rankings.
Content Performance: How well your website content engages visitors and meets their needs.
Technical Health: Ensuring your website is free of technical issues that could hinder search engine crawling and indexing.
By understanding these elements, you can identify areas where your website excels and areas that need improvement.
The Importance of SEO Reporting
SEO reporting takes the analysis a step further, presenting the data in a clear, concise, and actionable format. A good SEO report should:
Track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Focus on the metrics that matter most to your business goals, such as bounce rate, conversion rate, and time on site.
Provide Insights, Not Just Data: Explain the "why" behind the numbers, helping you understand the impact of your SEO efforts.
Offer Actionable Recommendations: Suggest specific steps you can take to improve your website's performance.
Amity IT: Your Partner in SEO Success
Amity IT understands the importance of SEO analysis and reporting. They offer comprehensive services to help businesses like yours thrive online.
Here's how Amity IT can help:
Data-Driven Approach: They use industry-leading tools like Semrush, Google Analytics 4, and Google PageSpeed Insights to gather accurate and insightful data.
Customized Solutions: Their services are tailored to your specific business needs and goals.
Comprehensive Reports: They provide detailed reports covering all aspects of your website's SEO performance, including technical health, content, backlinks, and keyword rankings.
Actionable Recommendations: They don't just provide data; they offer clear and practical steps you can take to improve your SEO.
Ongoing Support: They provide continuous support to ensure your website remains optimized and competitive.
Amity IT creates customized digital dashboards that consolidate SEO and digital performance data from various sources.
Ready to unlock the full potential of your website?
Visit Amity IT's SEO Analysis and Reporting service page to learn more about how they can help you achieve measurable results. Sources and related content
#SEO analysis#SEO reporting#Website optimization#Search engine optimization#Keyword performance#Organic traffic Technical#SEO Backlink analysis#Content strategy#SEO metrics#Competitor analysis#User experience#SEO#SEO services#Website performance#SEO tools
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Smart SEO Audits & Insights for Better Rankings – WebsAudit
WebsAudit provides expert SEO audits, actionable insights, and powerful tools to optimize your website’s performance. Get real-time data on SEO errors, meta tags, redirects, alt tags, and more. Our user-friendly tools help boost search rankings and enhance website visibility. Whether you need a Google search preview, URL redirect checker, or image alt tags analyzer, WebsAudit has the right solution for you. Improve your SEO strategy effortlessly—start optimizing today!
#SEO Audit#Website Optimization#Technical SEO#Site Performance#Page Speed Analysis#SEO Best Practices#Content Audit#Backlink Analysis#Mobile Optimization#On-Page SEO#Keyword Analysis#Site Structure#Link Building#Search Engine Rankings#Website Health#Technical Issues
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Google Search Console क्या है | Google Search Console in Hindi
आज के डिजिटल युग में, ऑनलाइन उपस्थिति किसी भी व्यवसाय या वेबसाइट के लिए अत्यंत महत्वपूर्ण है। अपनी वेबसाइट की स्थिति को ट्रैक करने और उसकी खोज इंजन रैंकिंग को बेहतर बनाने के लिए, वेबमास्टरों के पास एक महत्वपूर्ण उपकरण है: Google Search Console। यह एक ऐसा मुफ्त टूल है जो आपकी वेबसाइट के प्रदर्शन की निगरानी करने में मदद करता है और आपको SEO (Search Engine Optimization) की रणनीतियों को अनुकूलित करने…
#backlink analysis#Google Search Console#Google search results#Google webmaster tools#improve ranking#indexing status#keyword performance#mobile usability#organic traffic#search analytics#search appearance#search console guide#search console tutorial#Search Engine Optimization#SEO performance#SEO tools#site errors#site indexing#site visibility#submit sitemap#technical SEO#URL inspection tool#website monitoring#website optimization#website performance
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The Role of Onsite Search Analytics in Enhancing eCommerce Performance
After setting up your eCommerce store, you engaged the best search engine optimization (SEO) agency you could find. The specialist audited your company’s website and recommended the most effective SEO strategies to improve its online visibility and minimize expenses on other digital marketing methods. Now, it sounds like the perfect time to relax and wait for your recently launched eCommerce…
#conversion rate optimization#data insights#ecommerce performance#enhancing#online store analytics#onsite search analytics#search queries#user behavior analysis#website search
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Using Analytics to Drive Business Decisions
Did you know Google Analytics is a goldmine for businesses? It lets you track how users behave, fine-tune your marketing, and make choices based on data1. In today’s fast-changing digital world, using analytics is key to staying ahead in Australia. This article will show you how to use data to change your business for the better. We’ll cover how to get to know your audience and make your…
#Business analytics#Customer behaviour analysis#Data-driven decisions#Digital Marketing Strategies#Google Analytics insights#Website performance tracking
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The Ultimate Guide to DA Checker Websites: Maximizing Your Website’s SEO Potential

Introduction: Understanding DA Checkers
In the competitive world of SEO, maintaining and improving your website’s domain authority (DA) is crucial. DA checkers are essential tools that help you assess your website’s SEO strength and performance. This blog explores the best practices for using DA checker websites, their benefits, and how they can enhance your digital marketing strategy.
Describe a DA Checker and Explain Its Significance.
Moz developed a metric known as Domain Authority (DA) to predict a website's search engine ranking. A DA checker measures this metric, helping you understand your site’s ranking potential. By regularly checking your DA, you can gauge the effectiveness of your SEO efforts and make informed decisions to boost your website’s visibility.
Top DA Checker Websites to Improve Your SEO
Several DA checker websites offer robust features to analyze your site’s authority. Some of the most effective ones include:
Moz Link Explorer: Provides comprehensive insights into your domain authority and backlinks.
Ahrefs: Known for its detailed link analysis and competitive benchmarking.
SEMrush: Offers a broad range of SEO tools, including DA checks and site audits.
Majestic SEO: Focuses on backlink analysis and site authority metrics.
Ubersuggest: A versatile tool for DA checking and keyword research.
How to Use DA Checkers for SEO Improvement
To leverage DA checkers effectively, follow these steps:
Track Your DA Regularly: Monitor your DA over time to assess the impact of your SEO strategies.
Analyze Competitors: Compare your DA with competitors to identify areas for improvement.
Identify Weak Spots: Use DA checkers to pinpoint issues in your backlink profile and on-page SEO.
Optimize Content: Enhance your content strategy based on DA insights to boost your site’s authority.
Benefits of Regularly Using DA Checker Websites
Regular use of DA checkers offers several advantages:
Improved SEO Strategy: Provides data-driven insights to refine your SEO approach.
Competitive Advantage: Helps you stay ahead of competitors by understanding their strengths and weaknesses.
Enhanced Website Performance: Identifies areas for optimization, leading to better search engine rankings.
Common Misconceptions About Domain Authority
Despite its usefulness, DA is often misunderstood. Some common misconceptions include:
DA Equals Google Ranking: DA is a predictive metric, not a direct ranking factor used by Google.
Higher DA Guarantees Better Traffic: A high DA doesn’t always translate to more traffic; content quality and user experience also play vital roles.
DA Is Static: DA can fluctuate based on various factors, including changes in your site’s SEO performance and industry trends.
Conclusion: Leveraging DA Checker Websites for SEO Success
DA checker websites are indispensable tools for anyone serious about improving their SEO performance. By understanding and using these tools effectively, you can enhance your website’s domain authority, outpace your competitors, and achieve better search engine rankings. Regular monitoring and strategic adjustments based on DA insights will set you on the path to SEO success.
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How to Conduct an Effective Digital Marketing Audit
Learn how to conduct a comprehensive digital marketing audit to optimise your strategies and enhance performance. This guide covers website analysis, SEO, social media, email marketing, and online advertising. Contact Koobr today to elevate your digital marketing efforts and achieve your business goals.
#digital marketing audit#website analysis#SEO strategy#social media review#email marketing#online advertising#keyword analysis#content marketing#backlink profile#competitive analysis#marketing optimisation#Koobr#digital marketing performance#marketing audit steps#business goals
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Inclusive Marketing starts with Website and Social Audit
Conducting an inclusive website and social media audit can help you reach a wider audience, improve engagement, and boost conversions. By focusing on representation, accessibility, and brand values, you can create a more inclusive online presence that resonates with your target audience. Representation MattersAccessibility is KeyCommunicate Your ValuesAudit Your Existing ContentMeasure Your…
#audience targeting#business strategy#content strategy#subham das#inclusive marketing#website audit#social audit#marketing strategies#digital marketing#social media audit#SEO audit#inclusive advertising#website optimization#brand inclusivity#audience engagement#marketing audit#SubhamDas#social media marketing#diversity marketing#website accessibility#marketing inclusivity#brand audit#online marketing#marketing best practices#digital audit#website performance#inclusive branding#marketing trends#social media strategy#marketing analysis
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#key performance metrics#website performance metrics#performance metrics for employees#business performance metrics#project performance metrics#performance metrics and kpis#performance metrics analysis#performance metrics and reporting#performance metrics and evaluation#performance metrics and monitoring#api performance metrics#ai performance metrics#performance metrics best practices#performance metrics benchmarking#benefits of performance metrics#performance metrics calculation#performance metrics experience#performance metrics evaluation#employee performance metrics
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Bash Script: Calculate before/after 2: Calculate Harder
As an update, or an evolution of my earlier script that did some simple math for me, I’ve made one that will full-on test a URL while I’m making changes to see what the impact performance is of my updates. $ abtesturl.sh --url=https://example.com/ --count=10Press any key to run initial tests...Initial average TTFB: 3.538 secondsPress any key to re-run tests...Running second test...Second average…

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#automation tools#Bash Scripting#data analysis#performance testing#report generation#script updates#server response time#TTFB measurement#web development tools#website optimization
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Analyzing SEO of Website: Unveiling Digital Pathway to Success
#analyze your website seo#analyzing seo of website#website audit#stop hacking of website#seo website#audit a website#how to do seo audit of a website#how to check seo of your website#website analyse#website analyseren#website analysis seo#website seo analysis#free seo tools for website#webseite analysieren#b2b website#website seo#auditing a client website#how to make website analysis report#how to test a website manually#website performance testing#seo tools for ranking website#website report
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SEO CASE STUDY: STRATEGY TO OVERCOME SEASONALITY, PPC COMPETITION AND NICHE CRISIS FOR LOCAL ECOMMERCE BUSINESS
In this SEO case study, we will be discussing a strategy to promote a local e-commerce business in Canada that is facing three major challenges: seasonality, intense PPC competition, and a niche crisis due to a decrease in search volume. We will be sharing a step-by-step approach to overcome these challenges and drive traffic to the website through SEO tactics. This article will provide valuable insights for e-commerce businesses struggling with similar issues and looking for innovative solutions to boost their online presence.
ABOUT DECK TORONTO SEO CASE CHALLENGE
The Decks Toronto project is an online ecommerce store based in Canada, operating on the Laravel framework. The business focuses on delivering goods across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), but also offers delivery outside of the area. The client was looking to increase their visibility in cities such as Toronto, Ontario, Markham, and Barry.
One of the strengths of the project is its domain name – Deck Toronto, which allows it to rank well for geo-targeted searches containing “toronto.” Additionally, the site has an advantage due to its age and reputation, which makes it easier to rank new pages in the top 30 results for low or medium frequency queries. The site also had good behavioral factors with an average time of 1.5 minutes and 2 page views per session.
However, the site does have weaknesses, particularly in the lack of a full-fledged product catalog with filters, making it difficult to promote brand collections and product pages effectively.
UNRAVELING THE TANGLE OF SEASONALITY, PPC COMPETITION AND NICHE CRISIS ISSUES
We faced a tangle of challenges that threatened our growth and profitability. The first issue was the general crisis affecting our niche, which had led to a steady decline in demand for our goods. At the same time, traffic was strongly affected by seasonality, when demand for a product is very low for half a year. Additionally, we faced fierce competition from other vendors and numerous PPC ads that often diverted traffic away from our site.
Our main goal was to develop a comprehensive strategy that could help us overcome these challenges and achieve sustainable growth. Our strategy was not solely focused on improving traffic but rather, we aimed to achieve three key objectives. First, we wanted to surpass last year’s traffic levels. Secondly, we wanted to increase our visibility for brand-specific transactional keywords and boost existing rankings. Finally, we aimed to reduce the impact of PPC ads on our transactional requests and ensure they don’t take away valuable traffic from our site.
With a well-thought-out strategy, we believe we have successfully navigated the challenges of seasonality, PPC competition, and niche crisis, and emerged stronger and more profitable.
STRATEGY FOR ECOMMERCE LOCAL BUSINESS SEO PROMOTION
A strong SEO promotion strategy is essential to successfully overcome the challenges of seasonality, PPC competition, and niche crisis for a local ecommerce business. The first step towards achieving this goal is conducting a thorough analysis of the niche and target audience. This analysis will enable us to identify the most effective keywords, content topics, and promotion channels. The focus should be on creating high-quality, engaging, and relevant content that meets the needs of the target audience while providing them with value. Social media platforms, email marketing, and influencer outreach are effective channels to promote our content and drive traffic to our website. Additionally, optimizing our website structure, metadata, and on-page content is essential to improve our search engine rankings and visibility in search results. By implementing these strategies, we can enhance our traffic, visibility, and keyword count year after year while minimizing the impact of PPC ads on our transactional requests.
Collecting data
To develop a highly effective SEO strategy, our team began the process by conducting a thorough data analysis from various sources. We used a combination of tools such as Google Analytics, Search Console, and Google Trends to gather valuable insights about the website’s performance, user behavior, and search trends. Additionally, we utilized more advanced research tools like SpySerp, Ahrefs, Serpstat, and Screaming Frog to gain crucial information on our competitors’ keywords, technical condition, backlinks, and website structure. This allowed us to have a comprehensive understanding of the market and identify areas for improvement. By pooling insights from these diverse sources, we were able to identify opportunities for improvement and devise a comprehensive plan to surmount the challenges of seasonality, PPC competition, and niche crisis for our ecommerce business client.
Basic technical optimization
As part of our comprehensive SEO strategy for Decks Toronto, we undertook basic technical optimization on the website to address critical issues affecting its performance. We identified and fixed problems such as 404 error pages and slow download speed, which impaired user experience. Moreover, we used best practices such as installing last-modified headers and adding structured data markup such as LocalBusiness, Breadcrumbs and Product schema. These technical improvements served as a solid starting point for further optimization efforts and helped boost the website’s overall search engine rankings and performance.
Winning PPC: add missed semantics for deck collections
Winning at PPC advertising was a crucial aspect of our SEO strategy. PPC cannot be overtaken in SERP, the presence of contextual advertising reduced the likelihood of users seeing our site in the search results, even if we ranked on the first page but in 7th-9th position. However, PPC ads tend to focus on short-tail keywords with high search volume, so we considered targeting long-tail keywords that are more specific to our local e-commerce business. So we decided to win a competition for long-tail keywords and get visibility on featured snippets. So, we used Ahrefs to identify long-tail keywords that have a higher chance of triggering a featured snippet and created high-quality content that provides clear and concise answers to common search queries. We made accents on adding tables and lists and using semantic tags to make our page structure understandable for Google bots. This approach helped us increase our visibility and drive traffic from low-volume keywords to the website, giving us a competitive advantage in the PPC landscape and attracting high-quality leads.
Overcoming seasonality: apply strong content marketing strategy for blog
To overcome the seasonal challenges faced by the deck-building industry, we implemented a robust content marketing strategy for the Decks Toronto blog. Following Google’s recommendation to create high-quality content, we focused on crafting comprehensive, engaging, and informative blog posts that provided valuable insights and addressed common industry questions. When compiling topics for the blog, we used Google Trends to select those that maintain high demand dynamics out of season. In addition to optimizing the blog, we also rewrote all the content on the catalog pages and gave an extended description for the product pages. By doing so, we succeeded in positioning the Decks Toronto as a trusted and authoritative source of information on deck-building, driving more traffic to the website. With a consistent and targeted content marketing approach, we were able to overcome seasonality challenges and establish Decks Toronto as a leading player in the industry.
Way out of a niche crisis: link building strategy
A link building strategy can be an effective way out of a niche crisis for a business.
By acquiring high-quality backlinks from authoritative and relevant websites, a business can improve its search engine rankings and increase its visibility in the industry.
We’ve focused on building local backlinks that could help improve our local SEO by signaling to search engines that our site is relevant to the local area. We reached out to local bloggers, publications, and businesses to build backlinks to our local e-commerce site. We built a link profile not only for the main page, but also for brand catalog pages. Uniform distribution of link weight across the site, the ratio of anchor and non-anchor links of 20:80 and regularity allowed us to maintain a stable growth of traffic to catalog pages even with a small budget.
As a result, after six months, we were one of the few sites in the niche that survived the year without a drop in traffic and the number of keywords.
SUMMARY: WHAT TO DO FOR LOCAL SEO PROMOTION OF E-COMMERCE WEBSITES?
To overcome seasonal obstacles, competition in pay-per-click advertising, and niche crises, an ecommerce business like Decks Toronto must adopt a comprehensive SEO approach. This approach involves optimizing the website for relevant keywords and improving the user experience. It also requires leveraging PPC advertising to gain visibility, utilizing content marketing to establish the business as an industry authority and drive traffic to the website, and implementing a strong link-building strategy to improve search engine rankings and overcome niche crises. By combining these tactics and continuously monitoring and adjusting the strategy, the business can achieve sustainable growth and success.
GET A SEO AUDIT AND GROW YOUR VISIBILITY IN GOOGLE
Don’t let your website fall behind in Google’s search rankings! Book our comprehensive SEO audit today and get the insights you need to boost your visibility and drive more traffic to your site. The IM4U Digital Marketing Agency team of experts will analyze your website’s performance and provide customized recommendations to optimize your SEO strategy. Don’t miss out on potential customers – schedule your SEO audit now and take the first step towards dominating the search rankings!
#Local e-commerce business#Canada e-commerce#E-commerce challenges#Seasonality in e-commerce#PPC competition#Niche crisis#E-commerce SEO tactics#Boost online presence#E-commerce strategy#SEO case study#Local SEO promotion#Greater Toronto Area e-commerce#Toronto online store#E-commerce traffic generation#E-commerce visibility improvement#Target audience analysis#High-quality content marketing#Keyword optimization#Link building for SEO#E-commerce website performance
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My Hellaverse Writing & Drawing Resources (Masterpost) & Blog Tags
(A lot of this is for me, but feel free to use if you want.)
(Is updated as I stumble across more or make my own resources)
Blog Tags
#Undercover Angel AU (for my Angel Alastor au)
#allastoredoodles (my art tag)
#Poison AU (for my Angel & Alastor role-swap au)
My World-Building, Character Analysis, and Lore
The Hierarchal Power Structure in Pentagram City + Royal Family Character Analysis
Lucifer's Religious Trauma - Character Analysis
Why I Don't Include Dante's 9 Circles of Hell in my Hellaverse World-Building Lore
More About Dante's 9 Circles + Imp City and the Goetia
Hellborn and Sinner Similarities and Differences + Classism
Hellaverse Canon Lore Tidbits
Note: Some posts may have repeated canon lore
Post 1
Post 2
Post 3
Hazbin Hotel Facts Part 1
New Information Revealed By The Hazbin Playbill
Art Resources
Alastor
Alastor Drawing Guide
Alastor Cane Drawing Guide & Hand Reference Sheet
Alastor 3/4 (right) Expression Sheet
Alastor Side Profile Breakdown
Full Body Breakdown/Poses
Lucifer
Lucifer Drawing Guide
Demon Form Lucifer Drawing Guide
Vox
Vox Drawing Guide
Husk
Husk Drawing Guide
Rosie
Rosie Drawing Guide
Angel Dust
Angel Dust Drawing Guide
Vaggie
Vaggie Drawing Guide
Character Designs
Sinners From the Show (Collection 1)
Backgrounds
Heaven Embassy (Exterior)
Post-Extermination City-Scape
Writing Resources
The 5 Senses
75 Words That Describe Smell
Descriptive Words for Scents: List of Smell Adjectives
200+ Words to Describe a Voice
How to Describe a Smile in Different Ways
600+ Words to Describe Smiles
What a Decomposing Body Smells Like
300 Creative Words to Describe Hair
General Writing Help
How to Write Immersive Stories Using Description
World Building Tips: Writing Engaging Settings
Writing Action Scenes
Adjectives for Description
Dialogue Tags to Use Instead of Said
6 Seconds, 6 Months - Writing Advice/Challenge
100+ Architecture Terms to Help Describe Buildings
Body Language Cheat Sheets
23 Essential Body Language Examples and Their Meanings
Writing Sex Scenes: How to Heat Up Romance
Miscellaneous
How to Write Realistic Injuries
Explosives and Blasting Agents
BOM: The Next Generation of High Performance Explosives
Burning Points of Various Fabrics
English to Shakespearean (Perfect for Zestial! Thank you @witch-of-the-writing-desk)
English to Old English (Perfect for Zestial! Thank you @witch-of-the-writing-desk)
Fantastic Post About Louisiana and New Orleans (Great for writing Alastor!)
The Complete Butchers Guide to Different Cuts of Meat
What Are the Different Sections or Areas on a Casino Floor?
Casino Design - The Sneaky Tricks That Make You Spend More
A Walk Through the Casino
Radio Scripts from the Golden Age of Radio
Golden Age of Black Radio (Part 1)
Glossary of Early 20th Century Slang in the United States
Historical Slang For Having Sex, From 1351 To Today
Collection of Clothing References for Writing
Portraying Mixed People
Sexual Intimacy During Cancer Treatment
Helpful Websites and Writing Programs
Random Character Generators
Websites For Writers (Collection)
Pacemaker Planner
Hiveword: The Search Engine For Writers
StimuWrite Desktop
OneStopForWriters
LibreOffice (Free Microsoft Word Alternative)
Scrivener
Fighters-Block (Designed specifically to combat writers blocks)
MyNoise (Immersive and customizable soundscapes to help with focus or creating a specific writing atmosphere).
WorldBuilding.StackExchange (A website for answering specific world-building questions)
WordsNStuff (FANTASTIC blog for your all your writing needs)
My Ko-Fi
You know. If you wanna (◕‿◕✿)
#it'll be nice to actually have all my shit in one place#so many things#will add to it as I go#hope this helps for anyone else looking for some tips and resources#allastoredeer#drawing references#writing references#world-building#Hazbin World Building#Resource Masterpost#Hazbin Hotel#Helluva Boss
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Since the 2020s, Luca Marini has become many press men’s ‘go-to’ rider. The Italian’s ability to open the window on what he does has increased his stock vastly as a member of the MotoGP grid. He managed to repel most of the nepotism finger-pointing over being Valentino Rossi’s stepbrother with six wins and fifteen podiums in Moto2 and then gathered two podium finishes and a gaggle of top five results in three years with Ducati. ‘Ay, this is bullshit,’ Uccio told me in Sepang. ‘If you are in the top five in MotoGP then it’s not because you are Valentino Rossi’s brother. It is not like this.’ I’ve spoken with him a few times. In 2023, I felt like I had to ask why he made such effort engaging with media when the same activity for his teammate, Marco Bezzecchi, looked as much fun as removing one of his tattoos. ‘I like to answer questions well,’ he told me calmly but firmly, with his angled face and almost sleepy blue eyes. ‘I like looking at interviews from other riders but also from other athletes in other sports. I feel that I want to understand more from what people are saying. I love to learn something new or something from the “inside” of sports that is impossible to understand from only watching TV. I like to give this to fans, to the journalists and to the people that want to know more about our job and our sport. In my opinion, this sort of stuff is interesting … and I don’t mean just in MotoGP but in football or whatever. I don’t want to be a rider that answers just “generally” – sometimes, yes, you need to – but if I can do something more then I like to, because the fans of racing are very passionate. Maybe telling them more about it will increase the passion? From the television it is hard to take in everything.’ Interviews take place on a clock, and they rarely run over fifteen minutes, but the possibilities for discussion and insight with athletes like Marini give substance that very rarely comes through a TV equivalent or even a podcast (those mediums require more of a performance). There is more nuance and subtlety to a written article, and arguably more storytelling. Luca spoke with me in his second language and his general enthusiasm to ruminate on the minutiae of MotoGP gives writers a reason for being. The evaporation of magazines and outlets for long-form material is a gnawing frustration in MotoGP. There are constantly stories to be told, and not solely to stuff a website for clicks or to bash out lines to service SEO protocol. Therein lies another ‘rub’: dwindling readerships mean it’s not always easy for writers to acquire a tiny block of a rider’s day. It’s a matter of priorities. Understandably, teams must comply with a sponsor’s ambitions for visibility and that means mainly TV and lots of eyeballs. A racer will have minimal time for promotion in a grand prix schedule that involves the track sessions, preparation, team meetings, guest and fan engagements, commercial duties and physio. If a team’s PR crew then want precious minutes for him to dress as a panda and produce a humorous video for TikTok or social media where it will gather hundreds of thousands of views and lots of interaction then it’s clear that the humble journo with a drastically smaller audience will slip down the list. We’re lucky that press officers still value the contribution of specialist ‘print’ media and that analysis and perspective can co-exist with other ‘output’.
The Catalan Grand Prix in 2024, round six of the series, and Luca Marini was yet to score a point. There had been rumours in the Italian press that he wanted to break his two-year contract and escape the results-and-performance limbo. Apparently, Marini was pissed off. Not an apt time, then, for another one-to-one chat. Luckily for Luca and me, Honda’s woes were not really my subject on the table. I was more interested in his genesis than the company’s regeneration. Why MotoGP for him? Especially with a name like ‘Rossi’ a permanent part of his shadow. Due to his family and his connections, was MotoGP and motorcycle racing some sort of pre-ordained path? Sitting on the top floor of the wobbly HRC hospitality, I watched the eyebrows raise as he jostled on the edge of the armchair in his white HRC shirt. ‘I was just trying to do what I like,’ he explained. ‘Sport was one of the most important things to me because I believe it can teach you many good things for life, and motorbikes was the sport that gave me the most emotion. I tried to understand my feelings and to enjoy the whole process. When I was a child, I never thought I was different. I was doing what made me happy. If I was not happy to be in the disco then I would be at home watching races or thinking about school – because I had to be good at school. I wanted to be on a track, on a bike and trying to improve myself every day.’ But where did that come from? ‘This I don’t know! My parents never told me how to do something. They gave me a lot of love in their ways, for sure, but my father told me – always – that the day I wanted to stop with the bikes then no problem, be free to do whatever you want, and I really appreciated this on one side but on the other side I would have liked to have been pushed more by my father to improve more when I was younger.’ Luca was twenty-seven when we spoke. He had recently married Marta, his partner of seven years, who he met while they were in primary school together. They were expecting their first child. Marini would end up as one of seven fathers on the grid. He was talking from a position of reflection and hindsight, but it is still unusual to find someone who wished he had been urged further. ‘Yes, because I saw many riders that were forced more by the parents.’ I brought up Jorge Lorenzo and the fractured relationship with his father/coach Chicho as an example of the other extreme. ‘Extreme maybe… but he won five world championships!’ Luca reasoned. ‘So, it depends on which side you want to see it. I think he is enjoying his life now and with time, everything passes. I think you have to thank your parents because they only want the best for you, and they love you in their ways. Also, my mum let me be free in every way, not just bikes. She just told me: “Keep focused and don’t worry.”’
‘My parents saw I was fast and I was enjoying motorbikes and could have a career,’ Luca went on. ‘It was just the flow, following the flow. I was a rider and I was enjoying myself, so we looked to see if we could continue because I had problems of money as my dad was paying everything. He is a psychologist so not a rich man. I had to find sponsors and also my brother sometimes helped me and that was great. I was growing a lot during the years in the [VR46] academy and everything was getting better. I was enjoying it more and more and continued with this flow. I was loving what I was doing.’ Remuneration was apparently one of the reasons for his HRC choice. Understandable enough for a factory rider with a sizeable job on his hands, but Luca felt like he had to offer some perspective because sportsmen at his level have another type of determination and motivation. He stared into space, thought and then tried to express himself. ‘The thing is that money is not what you are looking for when you are a rider. Yeah, we earn a good amount of money but it is never enough! It is for this that people go to Andorra. And, in the end, if you focus on that it is never enough. I focus on enjoying my life and doing something that gives me emotion, good feelings and trying, obviously, to earn as much as possible!’ He pointed at his personalized but blank cap on the low coffee table in front of us. ‘But, as you can see, I don’t have a sponsor so I’m not a guy who is pushing as much as others to have them because unfortunately it is not my target here. I think I am smart and clever and when I stop this career I will find something that can help me earn more money than here. I am just trying to enjoy this career and the only way to do that is to fight for victories and this moment I need to find fun in a different way.’ Marini’s mentality switch from a race-winning motorcycle to a machine, team and company in flux was one of the running themes on the grid during 2024 MotoGP. His career choice might still turn out to be inspired, didactic. His predicament could be very temporary, for the better or the worse, but it does provoke questions about the role of psychology. ‘It is a super-powerful tool but, trust me, everybody uses it a lot,’ Marini confided. ‘You cannot see it clearly but it [MotoGP] is more about this than the physical side on many occasions. This sport is super-difficult and dangerous sometimes, so you have to be focused when you are riding. We have trained a lot since we were children because most of us started when we were four or five years old and we are ready to do everything. ‘I am in my best moment and mental shape,’ he insisted. ‘It means when I arrive in the paddock, I am happy and calm and ready to do my job in the best way. But then we start to struggle with the bike on track! When you miss the speed then you cannot be … happy. I want to be fast, and I want to enjoy riding the bike, but at the moment, without the results, it is a little bit difficult. However, I’m also satisfied to work with all these engineers and Honda.’
#luca marini#reading#motorcycle grand prix: insider stories from world championship racing#by adam wheeler
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