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In three months time Makeup Savvy, my little blog I thought I'd write for a year, will be turning 6! It's something I can't quite believe, not only has the time flown but I'm pretty happy with my little section of the internet that I've managed to still keep fairly relaxed and not full on profess even though it's taken me to a full on career!
In these 6 years I've learnt so so much about blogging that I feel I could write an e-book on it (don't worry I won't.. it would be way too boring!). So today while I'm pondering how these 6 years have flown I thought I'd sit down at my laptop for my 1,749th post and share with you some valuable things I've learnt in that time.
Writing valuable posts are the best kind of posts
Writing a makeup blog is never going to be life changing stuff 99% of the time and I like that. In a world were a lot of awful things happen, my blog besides many others, offers a light read whether I'm sharing my favourite nude lipsticks (side note - updated post to come soon) or I'm talking what I found on eBay for the 90th time. But sometimes it's good to be valuable and write about something that will help people. For me that has been blog posts I wrote on going SLS-free, which are some of the most read posts read by people seeking out better options for their skin or trying to resolve health problems. Also my personal post on my experience with anxiety was well received and I still get emails to this day from readers that feel like they can relate or want some advise! These are the kinds of posts I'm talking about that stand out in my mind not because of page views or how well they sit in Google but because they offer value and go beyond being a quick read on a lunch break. I hope 2017 and my 6th year of blogging can provide more content that I'm proud of!
Your blog can grow and change with you
Having your blog for a long period of time, in my case 6 years, means that your style, interests and likes will most likely change and the amazing thing about having a blog is that it's truly your own little space of the internet to do as you wish with. Over the last year I've created less nail posts (because I lost the bug for nail art) but more blog tip posts and you've all been fine with it! Same with blog designs, they are all becoming much more sophisticated and while my blog is still looking a little old school I know that when I decided to take the plunge and up my blog design game it's something people will understand and embrace. If you've stoppped blogging because your tastes have changed or you want to take it in a new direction bite the bullet and do it!
Writing a makeup blog is never going to be life changing stuff 99% of the time and I like that. In a world were a lot of awful things happen, my blog besides many others, offers a light read whether I'm sharing my favourite nude lipsticks (side note - updated post to come soon) or I'm talking what I found on eBay for the 90th time. But sometimes it's good to be valuable and write about something that will help people. For me that has been blog posts I wrote on going SLS-free, which are some of the most read posts read by people seeking out better options for their skin or trying to resolve health problems. Also my personal post on my experience with anxiety was well received and I still get emails to this day from readers that feel like they can relate or want some advise! These are the kinds of posts I'm talking about that stand out in my mind not because of page views or how well they sit in Google but because they offer value and go beyond being a quick read on a lunch break. I hope 2017 and my 6th year of blogging can provide more content that I'm proud of!
Your blog can grow and change with you
Having your blog for a long period of time, in my case 6 years, means that your style, interests and likes will most likely change and the amazing thing about having a blog is that it's truly your own little space of the internet to do as you wish with. Over the last year I've created less nail posts (because I lost the bug for nail art) but more blog tip posts and you've all been fine with it! Same with blog designs, they are all becoming much more sophisticated and while my blog is still looking a little old school I know that when I decided to take the plunge and up my blog design game it's something people will understand and embrace. If you've stoppped blogging because your tastes have changed or you want to take it in a new direction bite the bullet and do it!
Google Guidelines are a bitch
Over the years I've tried to get my head round SEO (I still haven't) and when I think I'm just about getting it, Google go and update their algorithm. This is generally to improve the effciency of user experience and doesn't help blogger or website owners one little bit. The most major set back for a lot of bloggers that isn't often talked about is the banning of follow links in paid for posts. I get the reason for the change in rules but this has totally changed that revenue stream for a lot of bloggers I know, including myself and there just isn't a work again. Well there is, only accept no-follow links, but the problem is it's often not worth it for brands and they either go to the largest blogs now or look for their content/promotion to be shared by bloggers for free or a very small amount. Google guidelines will forever change and I will always with be nervous when they do!
Over the years I've tried to get my head round SEO (I still haven't) and when I think I'm just about getting it, Google go and update their algorithm. This is generally to improve the effciency of user experience and doesn't help blogger or website owners one little bit. The most major set back for a lot of bloggers that isn't often talked about is the banning of follow links in paid for posts. I get the reason for the change in rules but this has totally changed that revenue stream for a lot of bloggers I know, including myself and there just isn't a work again. Well there is, only accept no-follow links, but the problem is it's often not worth it for brands and they either go to the largest blogs now or look for their content/promotion to be shared by bloggers for free or a very small amount. Google guidelines will forever change and I will always with be nervous when they do!
Blogging can change your life!
Lastly I just wanted to say how amazing blogging can be! It really has changed my life in that I'm now self employed due to how my blog has grown over the years and that is so freeing especially for a person that isn't in the least bit conventional and couldn't hack a 9-5! It's also made me embrace my creative side from setting up photography shots in new ways to brainstorming blog post ideas; I'll never get bored or tired of those things! Blogging has also been a wonderful consistent thing in my life that grows with me and something I can be proud of. Blogging really has changed my life for the better! If you are considering starting a blog or have blogged then stopped for whatever reason then I urge you just to do it. There is space for everyone on the internet and the personal reward from blogging can be amazing over time, from new friendships to unleashing your creative side and even career prospects.
If you've enjoyed reading my blog in the last 6 years then really from the bottom of my heart - Thank You! It really does mean a lot.
Fee xo.
Lastly I just wanted to say how amazing blogging can be! It really has changed my life in that I'm now self employed due to how my blog has grown over the years and that is so freeing especially for a person that isn't in the least bit conventional and couldn't hack a 9-5! It's also made me embrace my creative side from setting up photography shots in new ways to brainstorming blog post ideas; I'll never get bored or tired of those things! Blogging has also been a wonderful consistent thing in my life that grows with me and something I can be proud of. Blogging really has changed my life for the better! If you are considering starting a blog or have blogged then stopped for whatever reason then I urge you just to do it. There is space for everyone on the internet and the personal reward from blogging can be amazing over time, from new friendships to unleashing your creative side and even career prospects.
If you've enjoyed reading my blog in the last 6 years then really from the bottom of my heart - Thank You! It really does mean a lot.
Fee xo.
This post has been in the pipeline for some time, I've had it part wrote for weeks now. But in light of Mode Media declaring bankruptcy and knowing thousands of bloggers will ultimately go unpaid (including myself!) along with losing an income stream, I was motivated to get this post wrote!
Side note - I'm presuming you're a blogger if you are reading and know about the news surrounding Mode Media (Hayley at London Beauty Queen has an in-depth post all about it). This post really is aimed at bloggers already seeking ways of making money from blogging which means there is some more in-depth info here and I won't be explaining the basics such as how affiliate marketing works etc.
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Recently I've been trying to up my game as a blogger. This has meant endless scouring of Pinterest for informative blog posts and motivation stuffs if you will. But the thing is... I kinda feel "How I make $50,000 per month as a blogger" and "How to Become a Six-Figure Blogger within a Year" type blog posts just aren't that helpful. Motivational? yes, Actual info to help to get there? no. You see unless you want to be an all singing all dancing blogger that branches out into coaching, e-book writing or event talking or you're one of the lucky select few that started back in the day and are now part of the main talent agency in the UK (you know the one!). Then it's actually pretty damn hard to make a full-time wage from blogging, though it is doable!
So I decided to do the opposite of all the blog posts I've been reading recently and give you a no BS, no-nonsense yet fairly simple guide on how to make money as blogger. Whether you're only just starting out or you're looking to increase your income, especially if you've been let down my Mode Media, I hope this post can help.
Sponsored Content
Sponsored posts are a great way to boost your yearly income as a blogger. Yes, you need to be careful not to annoy your readers by over doing them or blogging about cheese when you're a beauty blogger (just an example, I hope no one has!) but done correctly you can produce interesting content whilst making a good amount of money. If you are lucky enough to contacted by a company and then work with them on sponsored content make sure to keep that relationship going - offer your stats on that post, let them know if it goes a bit viral 6 months on etc. It's just a good way to say - I'm still here!
As for how much you can earn from sponsored content it really is based on your reach/page views and the amount of work you will be doing for them. Even if you class yourself as a small time blogger and don't do it full time, never accept anything less than £100 - ever! For the average blogger £200-500 is the norm, however if you can build up your monthly pageviews then you really can earn quite a bit more.
I've personally found since the change in Google's rules in which paid for content cannot contains follow links (they most be no-follow) there has been a drop is sponsored content and it's not something I can rely on as a monthly income. It's still an income stream for me but it now makes up 25% of my income compared to 50-60% in 2014/15.
Key tips to take away
Sponsored posts are a great way to boost your yearly income as a blogger. Yes, you need to be careful not to annoy your readers by over doing them or blogging about cheese when you're a beauty blogger (just an example, I hope no one has!) but done correctly you can produce interesting content whilst making a good amount of money. If you are lucky enough to contacted by a company and then work with them on sponsored content make sure to keep that relationship going - offer your stats on that post, let them know if it goes a bit viral 6 months on etc. It's just a good way to say - I'm still here!
As for how much you can earn from sponsored content it really is based on your reach/page views and the amount of work you will be doing for them. Even if you class yourself as a small time blogger and don't do it full time, never accept anything less than £100 - ever! For the average blogger £200-500 is the norm, however if you can build up your monthly pageviews then you really can earn quite a bit more.
I've personally found since the change in Google's rules in which paid for content cannot contains follow links (they most be no-follow) there has been a drop is sponsored content and it's not something I can rely on as a monthly income. It's still an income stream for me but it now makes up 25% of my income compared to 50-60% in 2014/15.
Key tips to take away
- Know your worth
- Keep your integrity
- Always request a purchase order (PO) number to secure and track payments more easily. In the rare case of non-payment the purchase order can be used as a legal document.
Affiliate Marketing
I often think affiliate marketing is over looked especially by beauty bloggers, which is a shame because it's something that can become a good passive income and not require too much work other than blogging consistantly and recommending products you love!
My main tip here to maximise monthly income is to join as many related affiliate programs as you can so that all the products you talk about and love, earn you at least something, be it a few pence sometimes! The main affiliate programs that work for me are - Skimlinks, Affiliate Window, Rakuten and Amazon, but there are so many more and to find them I often visit the product website on the products I want to mention and find the affiliate details/link in the footer.
Wish list and round-up product posts always do well. However honest in-depth reviews shouldn't be overlooked! Also if you do well with a certain brands you can sometimes negotiate a higher commission rate with the affiliate program or you could consider including a display ad of your highest earning brand in the sidebar of your blog which will bring you extra affiliate revenue.
Key tips to take away
I often think affiliate marketing is over looked especially by beauty bloggers, which is a shame because it's something that can become a good passive income and not require too much work other than blogging consistantly and recommending products you love!
My main tip here to maximise monthly income is to join as many related affiliate programs as you can so that all the products you talk about and love, earn you at least something, be it a few pence sometimes! The main affiliate programs that work for me are - Skimlinks, Affiliate Window, Rakuten and Amazon, but there are so many more and to find them I often visit the product website on the products I want to mention and find the affiliate details/link in the footer.
Wish list and round-up product posts always do well. However honest in-depth reviews shouldn't be overlooked! Also if you do well with a certain brands you can sometimes negotiate a higher commission rate with the affiliate program or you could consider including a display ad of your highest earning brand in the sidebar of your blog which will bring you extra affiliate revenue.
Key tips to take away
- Be consistent
- Join multiple affiliate programs (it all adds up!)
- Only features products you love/believe in!
- Update out of date links and naturally place links in posts that receive the most traffic
Ad Agencies
Ahhh, now onto the sticky topic of ad agencies that take a cut of what you earn but take the the effort and negotiation out of the equation. But who can we really trust?! Often ad agencies come with rules (example - no other outside ads above the fold) and make themselves more appealing than they actually are, in terms of how often ads will be served on your page (it's never 100% of the time but more like 30-40%) and how much they pay per CPM. I currently don't feel I can recommend any ad agencies as I haven't trialled any other the Mode Media. However I would suggest to proceed with caution, always opt to trial ads out for a month first and never solely rely on it as your main source of income.
Key tips to take away
Ahhh, now onto the sticky topic of ad agencies that take a cut of what you earn but take the the effort and negotiation out of the equation. But who can we really trust?! Often ad agencies come with rules (example - no other outside ads above the fold) and make themselves more appealing than they actually are, in terms of how often ads will be served on your page (it's never 100% of the time but more like 30-40%) and how much they pay per CPM. I currently don't feel I can recommend any ad agencies as I haven't trialled any other the Mode Media. However I would suggest to proceed with caution, always opt to trial ads out for a month first and never solely rely on it as your main source of income.
Key tips to take away
- Make sure the ads aren't intrusive and Google-friendly (no-mobile pop-ups!)
- Don't solely rely on one income, have other revenue streams
- Backfill ads with another ad agency or Adsense to aim to have ads showing 100% of the time, making the most you can for each ad space.
Goodle Adsense
If you are looking for a totally reliable way of making money through ads then look no further than Google Adsense. Adsense is often the first thing bloggers put on their page and then with a small amount of pageviews feel it's not for them due to their low revenue. However building on pageviews definitely increases ad revenue and with the correct placement and ad sizes you can really maximise earnings. It always a good idea to place your largest ads above the fold and include individual ads into the html of your most popular posts/posts. I personally know a few people that earn a full time wage just through Adsense ads alone. Get placement right and aim to increase your pageviews and this could become a good portion of your income!
Key tips to take away
If you are looking for a totally reliable way of making money through ads then look no further than Google Adsense. Adsense is often the first thing bloggers put on their page and then with a small amount of pageviews feel it's not for them due to their low revenue. However building on pageviews definitely increases ad revenue and with the correct placement and ad sizes you can really maximise earnings. It always a good idea to place your largest ads above the fold and include individual ads into the html of your most popular posts/posts. I personally know a few people that earn a full time wage just through Adsense ads alone. Get placement right and aim to increase your pageviews and this could become a good portion of your income!
Key tips to take away
- Include ads above the fold
- Try different ad sizes monthly to find your most clicked ad size
- Be aware of the guidelines/rules, Google do ban people!
These are the 4 key areas in which you can earn money through blogging, however social media sponsorship is becoming much more popular so this may be another area you want consider. There's also the option to seek out private ads with smaller businesses.
I'm definitely no expert in this field and my pretty limited knowledge comes from blogging for over 5 years now.
If you do have any questions however feel free to ask them in the comments below and I'll try my best to answer them!
Fee xo.
I'm definitely no expert in this field and my pretty limited knowledge comes from blogging for over 5 years now.
If you do have any questions however feel free to ask them in the comments below and I'll try my best to answer them!
Fee xo.
Oh, I do enjoy a good internet hack, whether it's a keyboard shortcut that will make my life easier or a program that helps my blogging process. So today I thought I'd rack my brain for all the clever hacks that have helped me along the way as a blogger.
Hopefully you can find something here that will help you as well!
1. Find out what's been pinned to Pinterest from your blog by going to -
https://uk.pinterest.com/source/yourblognamehere.co.uk/
https://uk.pinterest.com/source/yourblognamehere.co.uk/
2. Create a simple blogger-friendly dashboard on Google Analytics in seconds. More details here
3. Keep handy virtual post-it notes on your desktop with Sticky Notes - my fav!
4. Stuck for what to blog about? Use this clever blog topic generator - trust me, it's fun to try out!
5. Turn any image (possibly for a media kit or invoice) into a PDF in seconds by uploading it to Canva and saving it as a PDF
6. Create a one-word keyboard shortcut for Instagram for all the hashtags you want to use. Full tutorial here (this will save you soooo much time!)
7. Sharing a blog post link from your phone? Remember to remove "?m=1" after .html or it will appear as the mobile version on desktops otherwise
8. Create instant cool-looking quote images for your blog and social media with Recite
9. Want text to stand out in a blog post? Make sure to create a sub-header instead of bold and add key words to help
SEO
SEO
10. Don't own Photoshop but want to remove image backgrounds? Try Clipping Magic
Bonus Hack - I had to mention this amazing free website called Peek (not sponsored, don't worry!) that I recently discovered. If you want some honest feedback about how user friendly your blog is then you simple enter your website address and a REAL PERSON will create a video with a voice over, reviewing your site as they navigate it. I suggested this to my blogging friend Andrew over at Beauty and The Boy, so if you want to see exactly what I'm going on about you can view his feedback video here before submitting your own blog - it's pretty cool if you ask me!
Found anything that you think will be like magic dust to you? Let me know!
Also if you have any hacks or website suggestions for me I'd love to hear them in the comments.
Fee xo.
Bonus Hack - I had to mention this amazing free website called Peek (not sponsored, don't worry!) that I recently discovered. If you want some honest feedback about how user friendly your blog is then you simple enter your website address and a REAL PERSON will create a video with a voice over, reviewing your site as they navigate it. I suggested this to my blogging friend Andrew over at Beauty and The Boy, so if you want to see exactly what I'm going on about you can view his feedback video here before submitting your own blog - it's pretty cool if you ask me!
Found anything that you think will be like magic dust to you? Let me know!
Also if you have any hacks or website suggestions for me I'd love to hear them in the comments.
Fee xo.
With an increase in page views recently (thanks, Pinterest!) my thoughts have turned to how I can grow on this via Pinterest and other sources. My 6- month goal is to increase my monthly page views by a pretty huge 50,000 and right now I'm feeling confident about it!
Alongside A LOT of other stuff I'm currently doing to help my blog gain readers, I'm slowly updating old content that still gains traffic or posts I think I can jazz up and re-promote! Below I've detailed exactly what I've been doing to reignite my old content. Plus the great thing about it, is everyone with a blog older than a year can follow these steps and have success with them! P.S. Brace yourself... it's a long one (I promise updating old blog posts won't take this long!)
First of all... Why Update Old Content?
This is pretty obvious, but I still think it's worth going over!
More than likely you have a whole back catalogue of interesting posts that aren't being discovered anymore. So re-vamping them and then re-promoting, especially via Pinterest can really give content a new lease of life and bring more pageviews and new readers to your blog! Refreshing old content that may have been wrote when you weren't as savvy at blogging also helps with SEO, so there will be a better chance your old content will appear higher in search engine results - again resulting in more pageviews!
The aim really is to update as much of your old content as you can (I'm currently aiming to freshen up 4 blog posts per month). The reason for this is not all of your updated content will see an increase in pageviews, however there may be a golden few that get rediscovered on Pinterest and seriously increase your traffic! Trust me, a single viral pin can send tens of thousands of pageviews your way - monthly!
Find Your Most Read Blog Posts + Seasonal Posts
I personally like to start with finding 10 of my most read blog posts that are over a year old and are looking a little lack luster. To find these you can use your own blog dashboard analytics (statistics especially on Blogger aren't reliable however it's good enough for this purpose) or Google Analytics. To do this on Google Analytics you want to find the 'Behaviour' section in the sidebar menu, then 'Site Content' and 'All pages'. Then change the date range to when you first started your blog to around a year ago. This will bring up your most popular content and from that you can write a list of the blog posts you want to re-work.
I also like to write down a few seasonal posts while I'm at it, for example right now I would find popular autumn themed posts to rework so that I can link that content in newer content. Plus it's more likely to be popular on Pinterest right now rather than if I tried to re-promote it in spring! Are you still with me? Good! Hopefully this isn't too dull!
I also like to write down a few seasonal posts while I'm at it, for example right now I would find popular autumn themed posts to rework so that I can link that content in newer content. Plus it's more likely to be popular on Pinterest right now rather than if I tried to re-promote it in spring! Are you still with me? Good! Hopefully this isn't too dull!
Run the Title through Headline Analyzer
So you have you're first old blog post infront of you so it makes sense to start at the top and look at making the title more attention grabbing (for Pinterent) and SEO friendly (for Google). My favourite way to do this is first run the blog post title through a Blog Post Headline Analyzer to see how it scores and how it can be re-worded (I could go into detail here but you will see exactly what it does once you try it - it's such a fab free resource!). I also like to do a quick search on Pinterest for similar content to my blog post and look at the titles that have the most pins, generally they will have awesome attention grabbing and emotive titles. I also find headlines that start with 'How to' or numbers (so list style posts) to always do well!
Create a Pinterest-friendly Main Image
If you're a photography geek like me then this may be the funnest part. I love using what I know now and totally revamping old blog post images, because this is such an important factor if you are wanting your post to do well on Pinterest. Yes, I keep on bringing Pinterest up, but you can't underestimate the platform - it can seriously bring you a lot of monthly traffic if you get it right! Here you want to create good quality images with your blog post title overlayed over the image, as this will grab attention both on Pinterest and Google Image Search.To omtimize images for Pinterest then aim for it to vertical and long, Pinterest recommend 735px x adjusted to height (I generally go for 600 x 900-1200 px) so basically the longer the better as it takes up more real estate on Pinterest. So do this, unless you have the original pictures from your old blog post (kinda' unlike) I take all the relevant images from that post, cropping them if I need to, and save them to a new folder. I then open them up either in PicMonkey, Canva or Photoscape (all free to use!) and move them around until I create my new Pinterest-friendly image! If back in the day your images were fairly small then creating white space inbetween them and placing text there will create a bigger overall image - as you can see I've done this in the example above.
If the post you are refreshing went viral at some stage and still gets traffic but the images just aren't upto scratch then re-taking them is a good idea! I wouldn't recommend spending that amount of time on all old content as it would take forever but on content that you hope to really reignite it's time well spent!
Freshen up that Copy
This is pretty self-explanatory! You want to check over your grammar and spelling and tighten up that copy. You may want to add sub headers, create shorter paragraphs and make it all round more reader friendly.Add More Content
Did you know that Google actually likes longer content? So if it's a post that's providing information, such as a guide/tutorial or even a review then you may want to add to it. Even consider adding an update, first stating the month and year and then the relevant information that readers might find helpful to know. Even if it's just to say you are still using X product or method and anything further advise you have.Correct & Add Valuable Links
Often old posts will contain dead links and that's pretty rubbish for the person that reads your old post and clicks the link. So make sure to check all links and correct them. Also adding links to outside sources that are relevant helps with SEO and affiliate links (if you use them) is a good idea... I mean what if it went viral!
Link to Related Blog Posts
If your updated post were to become popular through Pinterest then you want to keep readers on your blog for as long as possible (that's what 'bounce rate' is!). Ideally this is through linking to relevant posts in your main body of text in a natural way. But if you can't make links fit naturally then a simple 'Related' or 'Here are a few posts you might like' at the bottom of the blog post with 2-4 links will do.Do a Final Tidy
Once you are done, have a quick read over the post to double check you haven't missed anything. You may also want to add tags/labels to your post and alt-tag images.Re-Pin it/Tweet/Facebook it!
Yes! It's finally time to re-promote the post! Tweeting it and adding it to Facebook and maybe stating you've updated it is a easy and quick step. As for Pinterest, pin your main image to your most relevant board and any suitable group boards you may be a part of.Link to said post in your New/Upcoming Content
Over the coming weeks and months be aware of the content you've newly updated and where you can, link to them posts is new content. This will be a sure fire way to guide readers to your amazing updated content and you never know they may even pin it! Side note - That really should have been a section on it's own... but make sure all blog posts can be socially shared and images can be pinned when you hover over them - so important!Re-Pin a few Weeks Later
You know when Pinterest goes "Psst! You've already saved this pin to..."? when you try to pin an image twice. Ignore it! Re-pinning your own images to a different board (even the same board if you have enough content) is totally fine and actually makes sense. New followers won't have seen it and it increases the chance of it being pinned. You can also re-pin it to more group boards, just makes sure you're aware of the rules and it's a relevant subject. Even pin more images from renewed content as long as the images are 'Pinterest worthy'!
Things To Avoid
Never Duplicate Content
Duplicating content and re-posting it isn't good for SEO and should be avoided! Yes, do an update post or write an entirely new post on the same subject but never take from an old blog post to create 'new' content'. The same thing goes for deleting old posts - update, yes, but never delete!Don't Over Market Old Posts
Ever clicked on a link from a blogger on Twitter or Facebook only to find out it's 4 years old and the offer or 'news' is irrelevant? It's annoying! So don't be that person. Avoid promoting time-sensitive content and don't over promote your updated content like it's a new post.
Free Blog Content Refresh Checklist (download link)
As this is a lot of information and there are a lot of steps to take when updating an old post (it should only take around an hour, mind) I thought I'd come up with a free printable checklist! The printable also acts as a tracker as you can note down the date and current pageviews when you update the content, then check against it in 6-12 months time to work out how many new page views you've recieved since the update!
Really hope you have found this more in-depth post helpful. Let me know how you get on updating your old blog posts!
Fee xo.
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