October 28, 2011

Why Internet Marketers Are Turning to WordPress Blogs

By Luis Sarmiento -

Each day more WordPress blogs are being created for internet marketers instead of the traditional static website. The reason this is happening is because of the great tools people get with WordPress. Static websites are not as effective and people feel that you have to do more to get the attention of the search engines.

  • Plug-Ins: WordPress blogs offer many features to help optimize your content by providing what is called plug-ins. You can choose a variety such as, Keyword Luv which helps create solid backlinks from people who respond to your blog post. Search engine optimization plug-ins is available to submit keywords that search engines can easily find on your content posts. Sharing what you wrote on your blog to social networks such as Twitter, Facebook can be possible through WordPress.
  • Download Video: Internet marketers can easily add video to their WordPress without the hassle of hiring a web designer to do it for you. If you have a you tube video, you can easily add embedded code to your posts, a nice feature marketers need in order to help optimize their blog.
  • Download Audio: Another great feature WordPress offers, the ability to add audios to your blog.
  • Notify the Search Engines: This is a crucial feature people need to know about if they want to boost traffic to their site. Upon publishing your blog post, automatic pings go out and tell anyone and everyone that you have new content. This in turn catches the attention of the search engines which will bring readers to your site.

Despite the fact that WordPress offers very cool features, it is important to understand that the benefits alone will not get you ranked quickly to the search engines. This means you still have to provide good quality content that search engines are looking for. You still have to optimize your content so that you can be easily found on the internet.

Your Best Bet: The term “diversification” is critical when optimizing your blog. You need to provide quality content, videos, keyword optimization, back linking, and offer opportunity for your readers to interact by inviting comments. This type of diversification will help you get your WordPress blog ranked high in the search engines.

Building a business while a making a substantial income can be fun and easy if you know what you are doing. Learn to build a solid business on the Internet quickly and affordable with Luis Sarmiento who specializes in Direct Response Marketing. Visit http://www.leverage-ur-marketing.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Luis_Sarmiento
http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-Internet-Marketers-Are-Turning-to-WordPress-Blogs&id=4928896

 

 

Blog Platforms – Which One to Pick

By Henry McCody -

Many people, who are new to the blogging scene, inevitably ask the same question: What is the best blog platform? This is a very broad question and quite frankly the best answer is: it depends. In this article we will be discussing the two biggest blog platforms, WordPress, and Blogger.

Self Hosted WordPress

Self hosting a WordPress blog is free to install on your own hosting service. Many hosting providers in fact offer to install WordPress free of charge.

After you have set up and installed WordPress you can install many plugins and widgets that perform a variety of tasks such as: e-commerce, SEO, shopping carts, etc. You also have the ability to change the look and feel of your blog though the use of themes.

Finally if you are more tech-savvy you can actually modify the WordPress code itself to better suit your needs.

Disadvantages of Self-Hosted WordPress

Although learning how to set up a self hosted blog, is not too difficult. Many people find the process of registering a domain, hosting, and installation technical in nature.

For these people there is a solution in the form of WordPress Multi-User accounts available at WordPress.com. These people sacrifice some amount of customization but do not need to deal with the technical parts of the self hosting. Registering is relatively simple, and you can be up and running very quickly.

IMPORTANT NOTE: WordPress.org and WordPress.com are different in nature. WordPress.org is where you can download the self-hosted blog software to install on your own hosting. WordPress.com is where you can register and start blogging without having to set up hosting.

Are There Other Options?

Yes, of course. The second option would be the Blogger platform. Blogger is very easy to use and will let you get started quickly. All you need to do is register, pick a name, and start blogging. This is better for people who are less tech-savvy. One downside of Blogger is that you will have a Blogger domain for your blog. This might be completely acceptable for a personal blog, but probably inappropriate if you are using the blog for business purposes.

More recently Blogger did introduce a work around that allows you to have your own domain, but it does take a little bit of effort. If you are interested in getting started quickly or wish to learn the more technical aspects latter, then you should get started with Blogger, or WordPress.com. However, if you want to greater ability to customize your blog, you should go with a self-hosted WordPress blog.

There is a LOT OF MONEY that can be made through Web Marketing. The concepts are not hard to understand, but you need to have a firm understanding of each aspect of Web Marketing. If you are looking to change your life and become financially independent then go to our website Web Marketing Reference.

There are tons of internet marketing products out there, many are scams and rip-offs. Don’t make costly mistakes by buying these products. Before you you make a decision be sure to check this out. Click Here Now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Henry_McCody
http://EzineArticles.com/?Blog-Platforms—Which-One-to-Pick&id=4296783

 

 

Cloning WordPress Blogs

By Stephen Winship -

WordPress has become the world’s most popular blogging platform in recent years. Software and script developers have been creating and releasing various products for use with WordPress, such as themes and plugins. Recently there have been a few products developed to clone existing WordPress blogs.

What is cloning a blog, and why would you want to do it? To put it simply, cloning equates to duplicating not just the appearance or the contents but the entire functional infrastructure of a blog. In other words, cloning re-creates a complete working blog, and lets you put it in another location on the internet.

When I say the clone is fully functional, I also mean that the database and all plugins – and their current configurations – are duplicated exactly and in working order.

Cloning could come in very handy for ensuring you have a functional copy of your blog in another location, perhaps another web hosting service, in the event of a disaster at its original location. A working copy in form, fit and function of your blog could be used almost instantly by simply changing the DNS info of your domain name to point to the new location.

While it’s true that you can create a backup of your blog at any time using the internal function provided by WordPress, cloning a blog differs in one important respect. A backup has to be re-installed, while a clone is already up and running. This can be a great time saver.

If there is a drawback, it is in updating content on the clone to match the original. However, that should be a simple matter of copy and paste – as you add to the original, you can add to the clone. A backup would be only as current as the last time it was created, anyway.

There is another, perhaps more exciting, aspect to the concept of cloning, though. It lies in the possibility of creating multiple blogs with a single theme and a common set of elements. Think of it as being able to create one template, with your favorite theme and plugins installed and configured. Include other elements, like images and standard pages you want on all your blogs. Do this once, without any posts or topic-specific content, and save it as a clone. You can use that template-clone to install new WordPress blogs anytime you need, ready to fill with content, without re-installing and re-configuring all the common components.

That, it seems, would save hours and prevent a lot of headaches.

Stephen Winship is a blogger and software enthusiast, and has been maintaining the PCValuWare Blog since 2008. He samples and reviews various types of software, and offers tips and suggestions on computers, the internet and software in general, providing helpful information and video demonstrations where possible.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephen_Winship
http://EzineArticles.com/?Cloning-WordPress-Blogs&id=5643025

 

 

Blogs Vs Websites

By Lenore Moker -

Websites are sites consisting of static pages (content usually remains unchanged), whereas blogs are sites consisting of dynamic pages (content changes on a regular basis). With that being said, how else do they vary and should you use one over the other?

Listed below are several ways in which blogs and websites differ. Deciding on which one best suits your needs is a personal preference; however, in my opinion you can’t go wrong creating a blog first, then, if necessary, build your website and here’s why:

Cost

Depending on the type of business you have, creating a website from scratch can be costly and time consuming. Business websites need to have a professional look and feel in order to attract customers, which is why most companies are willing to spend top dollar to secure an experienced web designer. If you’re considering a low-key website, using free applications through sites like Microsoft Office Live or Google, can produce quality-looking websites.

Blogs are usually free and you can get them through your web host or directly from the Internet. Site building applications include WordPress, Blogger, and Weebly. Some are easier to use than others; however, they all offer help links, directing you to their FAQs or help forums.

In both scenarios, free site applications have limitations in features, tools, and functionality; however, they offer the opportunity to upgrade, for a minimal fee, enabling you to unlock advanced options, which allows you to be more creative in your site’s overall look.

If you choose to use a free site application, for your website or blog, you should purchase a personal domain and have your free site redirected so that your personal domain’s URL appears in the address bar and not the URL from the free site.

Timing

Websites can take months to create; however, with a blog, you can have it up and running in less than a day.

Indexing

Since websites are static, search engines are less likely to index them as often, making it difficult to drive traffic to your site.

Search engines LOVE blogs because they’re dynamic. Your site has a better opportunity to be indexed every time you publish a new post. Because of this, your site will show up in search results more frequently, which in turn brings more traffic to your blog, potentially improving your rank.

Visibility on the Internet

Websites can take weeks for search engines to find them, whereas posts through your blog can be found within days, if not hours.

Tagging/Keyword Searches

Tagging a static website is limited because technically you’re only supposed to use keywords that pertain to the content on a particular page.

With a blog you’re not only able to tag each page, but also each post. For every post, you’ll have different keywords pertaining to the content on that post, allowing them to be indexed by search engines, resulting in increased online exposure.

Monetizing

Static pages are more difficult to monetize by means of adding links through affiliate programs. Because of a website’s low visibility and lack of new content, you wouldn’t generate enough traffic to your site to benefit from your affiliates.

Blogs have more visibility on the Internet and offer better opportunities in creating multiple income streams through affiliated programs and advertisements, such as Google AdSense.

Point-of-View

Websites are based on the author or company’s point of view.

Blogs provide a means to communicate, build relationships, and allows visitor feedback. Visitors can also share one or more posts from your blog with others using special social media applications like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn and are offered through most, if not all site builders.

Best Option

There are benefits to having a website AND a blog; however, if you’re getting ready to make an online presence, I would suggest going with a blog first, then create your website. Offering useful and accurate content on your blog at least 4-5 times a week will improve your site traffic and readership loyalty.

For those who are having difficulties with some of the free blog applications available, and having tried WordPress, Blogger, and Weebly myself, I would definitely suggest giving Weebly a try. It has to be the easiest drag and drop site builder I’ve used so far. It may not include all the “perks” from let’s say WordPress, such as setting time intervals to automatically publish drafted posts; however, Weebly is relatively new and are continuously improving their features. The reason I mention this is because for some individuals the lingo used (i.e. gadgets, widgets, CSS, tag, etc) may be foreign to them. You don’t have those complexities using Weebly. You’re still able to upload videos, music, documents, and images; however, some of the features are in the pro version, which is at a minimal cost per year.

Lenore Moker is an advocate of following your dreams and taking educated risks in order to achieve financial freedom. She enjoys helping others reach success and because of this, she has decided to create her own blog that offers tips on how to do just that. Feel free to visit Lenore at http://www.mlmguidetosuccess.com. Comments and questions are welcome; however, please be considerate and tactful.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lenore_Moker
http://EzineArticles.com/?Blogs-Vs-Websites&id=5911127

 

 

Blogger Vs WordPress Blogs

By Erin P Smith -

The two main blogging platforms are clearly Blogger and WordPress. The real question is, which one is right for you?

The first thing you need to do is determine why you want a blog. Is your blog for posting random stuff you do during the day? Is it just for friends and family to read? Or, like I recommend, do you use it for business?

Blogger.com is a pretty cool blogging platform. They host the blog for you so you don’t have to take care of some of the technical stuff. It’s easier just to get your blog going and up on the internet.

However, there are a few drawbacks to using Blogger as your platform. Because they host the blog for you, you don’t actually have as much control over your blog as you would with a WordPress. If Blogger decides they want to change some rules or for any reason they feel like, they could shut down your blog and your out of luck.

Another downside is that you have to have the word “Blogger” in your domain. It would look like yoursite.blogspot.com. This is probably not the look you want, especially if you are trying to make a business from it.

WordPress.org (not WordPress.com, it’s just like Blogger) allows for much more customization. Although it may take a little more technical prowess to get it done, you can find tutorial videos all over the internet. The extra work in the set up is apparent when the blog is up and going.

With WordPress, you choose the hosting, so you have control. The blog is yours and the domain can be whatever you want. You don’t have to promote some website, having blogspot in your domain.

Good luck with your blogging!

You can check out Blogger vs WordPress facts and also see a fully set-up WordPress blog in action!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Erin_P_Smith
http://EzineArticles.com/?Blogger-Vs-WordPress-Blogs&id=5251481

 

 

Mobile Web Blogs – The Next BIG Thing in the Blogging World

By Sonu Parashar -

Publishing has taken an entirely new paradigm with the introduction of blogging. Now anyone and everyone can create a blog, publish it and can share it with friends, family and general public. The concept of blogging has taken the world of e-publishing by storm. There are various platforms available for free on the Internet where one can set up a personal blog or an official blog in no time. WordPress and Blogger are the two most popular names when it comes to creating or setting up a blog. You don’t have to register a domain and pay for it. All you need is a unique blog title and you get going in no time. If blogs were the big thing of the last five years, it will be the web in the coming time. If blogs were the big thing of the last five years, it will be the web blog in the coming time.

Mobile Web Blogs hold huge promises

Mobile web blogs may be at the nascent stage at this time but digital marketers have understood the potential in mobile web blogs. Companies keeping in view the importance of mobile phones in the coming times are aligning their resources and budget to the growing need of creating a mobile blog. For mobile blogs platform hold huge promises for digital marketers. It makes it easy and cost effective to reach your target audience with mobile web blog.

Mobile Web Blogs are quick and easy to share

It is extremely easy and quick to share Mobile blogs among family, friends and customers. You can publish a mobile web log in the form of an image, text or video as well. There are many advantages of mobile blog when compared to a normal blog. You may not be able to access a normal blog on the go and it won’t be easy to update with what you see and do. It would be difficult to share it with your friends and they may need a desktop/laptop and Internet connection to access your blog.

Compare this with a web blog, which can easily be updated using your mobile phone and you can sms your friends about your new mobile post, who can view it in real time and provide feedback on the same. When it comes to updating and informing your customers and friends, quickly and in real time, there is hardly an effective alternative to a blog.

When it comes to updating and informing your customers and friends, quickly and in real time, there is hardly an effective alternative to a mobile web blogs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sonu_Parashar
http://EzineArticles.com/?Mobile-Web-Blogs—The-Next-BIG-Thing-in-the-Blogging-World&id=6373635

 

 

Paid or Upaid Blog Platforms

By Michael Copper -

There are very popular blogging platforms available on the internet these days. However, many people get confused between the two options offered, the .com and the .org versions. This article will explain exactly what these are and how to choose the one that best suits you as a blogger.

WordPress.com is a free blog host, similar to Blogger. The website allows you to sign up for one user account and place as many blogs as you wish under this account. The basic site offers a good selection of blog themes and a handful of plugins already installed. You don’t need any technical knowledge to start a blog on WordPress.com.

WordPress.org is not a host at all, but rather the blogging platform which you can download for free and then host on your own website. This can get a bit confusing, if you aren’t very technically minded. The best way to go is to find a host such as HostGator which offers one click free installation of the WordPress platform. The platform comes with just one theme and two basic plugins.

So, how do you decide which version to use? That depends greatly on what you intend to do with your blog. If you are writing a personal blog and have no intention of trying to earn money except through the occasional affiliate link, then free platforms are the ideal options. Since they are so easy to use, it is perfect for the beginning blogger to get their feet wet.

WordPress.org, or the self-hosted platform, is far better if you actually want to monetize your blog. Whereas the free host doesn’t allow you to place Adsense or do pay per post blogging, if you are hosting your own blog, you can do whatever you want! This means you are able to load your blog with all manner of monetizing options.

Also, the free hosted version doesn’t allow customization through plugins or installation of new themes. While they offer a good variety of set themes, there are a good number of third party ones available for the self-hosted blog. There are also hundreds of free third party plugins that do everything from add sidebar widgets to help you optimize your blog for search engines.

It all comes down to the purpose of your blog. If you want full customization and the ability to place ads on your blog, you will want to host your own WordPress blog on your own host. However, if you are just fiddling around and having fun, you can go with free platforms for ease of use.

I’ve been involved with online and offline business since 1990, my expertise is in marketing and sales, and now offering an online business coaching program associated with David Vallieres. The name of the online course is “Think and Succeed Training Program,” in other words; if you want to make money online, or desire to succeed in a full time online business, then we are here to help you think it through to a successful venture. If you want to succeed in your online business then consider our course, to receive more informatin go our web site. [http://www.course-internet-marketing.com/]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Copper
http://EzineArticles.com/?Paid-or-Upaid-Blog-Platforms-&id=545105

 

 

An Introduction To Blog Platforms

By Rhyn Potgieter -

Setting up your blog will require a little research and review; you’ll need to consider the factors of cost, the time and skills you currently have, and your readiness to learn some new software. Almost all blog software is very easy to sue and offers a variety of plug-ins and other resources to make yours unique. You don’t necessarily need to hire a professional or specialist to start publishing; most blogs can be setup with a few hours, and you can learn how to use them as you go. We’ll discuss how to make use of today’s leading blog platforms. The three most widely used platforms include:

  • WordPress
  • Blogger
  • TypePad

Choosing the Right Blog Platform for Your Business

You’ll find a number of free and low-cost fee-based blog platforms available, and most of them use a simple text editor box for publishing. The cost differences vary depending on the type of blog you are running; if you are going to host the blog on your own domain, you will need to manage hosting fees. Blogs run within the blog’s domain are usually free, but you will not have a simple address to work with. If you want a unique URL, it’s better to consider the different packages, even if you’re starting out with the very basic.

Most basic packages allow you to add your own design elements and start making money with advertisements immediately. Most free hosts will not allow advertising, which limits your ability to start generating a separate stream of income from ad-clicks and sales. If you’re just starting out, it’s best to pick the basic version so you can at least start driving traffic to advertisements.

Next, you’ll need to consider how much you know about blog design. If you’re already proficient with web design and templates, this will be fairly easy, but if you do not know where to start there are plenty of blog templates available. Blog templates can help you construct your basic site, and then change it later when you need to. These can be easily replaced with a more comprehensive design, but most blog platforms provide a variety of options, colors, and basic attributes to make your blog stand out.

Blog platforms such as WordPress can be very helpful in getting you setup with a professional look, especially if you have limited design skills and are not working with a web or graphic designer immediately. Blogger also offers customizable options, and you’ll find a range of colors and styles to choose from. Moveable type is somewhat limited, but you can still find a basic, well-organized template.

Rhyn is the founder of Webtonic. The goal of Webtonic is to provide a knowledgebase of information about online selling and business.

Visit http://www.webtonic.co.za

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rhyn_Potgieter
http://EzineArticles.com/?An-Introduction-To-Blog-Platforms&id=834576

 

 

Top 3 Free Blog Platforms

By Ben Stuart Greenwood -

Whether you’re an individual looking to blog about your passion, pastime or hobby or part of a company that wants to create a corporate blog to tell the world about your latest news and improve your search engine rankings through fresh content, there’s a host of free blogging platforms that you can use. It’s just a case of deciding which is best for you and your aims.

Here are five of the very best blogging platforms for you to consider, in no particular order. Have a look at them all and choose which one you feel most comfortable with.

1 – Blogger.com

Google bought Blogger a few years ago but they haven’t made too many changes to it. It remains a perfectly adequate blog platform for those who want a simple, easy to use interface, a clean site to look at and the ability to post quickly.

As you don’t need your own webspace to use Blogger – they host your blog for you – it is ideal for those new to blogging platforms who want to get to know the ropes, but it does offer the ability for the more experience and some skill with HTML and CSS to tweak the look and feel of their site and truly put their own mark on it.

While Blogger could, theoretically, be used for a company or corporate blog, there are more functional and better suited blogging platforms out there.

2 – WordPress.com

Like Blogger, WordPress.com will host your blog for you so you don’t need to splash out on a host or worry about working with databases and file permissions. However, WordPress.com offers many more features, including WordPress plug-ins and widgets which truly make your blog dynamic and more engaging to the reader.

These include calendars, blog rolls, countdown clocks, all kinds of features that your readers will find useful.

WordPress.com also allows a certain amount of customisation to how your website looks without you having to know any HTML or CSS, as it offers a selection of themes you can use.

WordPress.com, thanks to its greater capacity for customisation would be more suitable to a corporate or company blog than Blogger too.

3 – WordPress.org

WordPress.org provides a blogging platform very similar to WordPress.com with two very important differences. Firstly, you’ll need your own webspace to host your blog (this isn’t going to be a problem if you’re setting up a company blog).

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, you have total control over every aspect of your blog, along with access to every plug-in, widget and theme available – and there are literally thousands.

You can even use the WordPress platform to build a fully functioning website, not just a blog. There are plenty of cheap web design companies on the internet that will create a custom WordPress theme just for your company and configure it to be a standalone website, a standalone blog or even integrate the new blog into your existing website.

It might seem like WordPress.com and WordPress.org are the same thing but they’re not and they do warrant separate write ups, hence they’re included in this Top 3 list in their own right.

Other free blogging platforms are plentiful and include Typepad, Moveable Type and even Joomla, which is a content management system really but can just as easily be used as a blogging platform!

Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of the Cheap Web Design Co., providers of cheap web design services.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ben_Stuart_Greenwood
http://EzineArticles.com/?Top-3-Free-Blog-Platforms&id=5208962

 

 

The Best Blog Platform

By Keith Lunt -

What is the best blog platform is probably a bit of a loaded question. Overall, I’d have to say that the self-hosted version WordPress wins the award hands down. But not in all cases. There are times when I think it would be better for bloggers to use other platforms.

Why is the self-hosted version so good? Well, you install it for free into your own paid hosting. The software is free to download and use, although if you have a website designer do the work for you they are entitled to charge you for their set-up time.

Free Installation

Once it is up and running you can install, again for free, plugins to do many jobs for you. From extra security to search engine optimisation they are all available to download for free. Themes, the basic layouts of your website, are also available for free from loads of different pages.

So the self-hosted version of WordPress is fully customisable and has plenty of add ins available. And it is free. What can be better?

The Downside Of WordPress

Well, for some people, the process of a registering a domain name, setting up your own hosting and then FTPing the files to your new website, whilst not being overly complicated, is still slightly technical. It is possible for anyone and everyone to follow a few basic instructions and load and install a WordPress installation, but I can understand why some people would back off from the idea and prefer something else.

So what is there?

Blogger Is A Good Second Choice

Well, I would say hot second favourite is Blogger. It seems that if you don’t use self-hosted WordPress, then you are probably going to use Blogger. Blogger is easy to set-up and to start blogging. Sign up to the service, find an available name and you are up and running.

So it is perfect for those frightened of the technical aspects of self-hosted WordPress, whilst also avoiding the website hosting and database hosting fees. The only downside is that you have a Blogger website name. This is not as profitably as having your own website name if you are getting into the field of sponsored posts and so on.

But they have a fix for this. With Blogger you can follow their instructions, by your own domain name and use that for your blog.

So for the technically minded, willing and able to handle the hosting aspect, I would recommend installing WordPress, whilst for those wanting a quick and easy entry into the blogging world, go for Blogger.

There is one exception!

If you are blogging about certain niches, then there can be specialised systems set-up ready for you. I use WordPress for all of my blogs, except for my running blog. Why, well if you look at a specialist service provider who concentrates on blogs only from one niche, you can get one very big advantage.

This huge advantage is summed up in one word – Traffic. If you pull a lot of people with the same interests together and they all start to blog, they read the other blogs on the system.

But I still think self-hosted WordPress wins the day!

If you want any more advice the best blogging platform or want someone to set-up a self-hosted version of WordPress for you, please do contact me through my Merseyside Web Design website.

Keith Lunt

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Keith_Lunt
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Best-Blog-Platform&id=3955245