BLOG DESIGN JOURNAL

Every successful Blogger I know of uses link building as part of their internet plan. Link building is the number of links pointing back to a Blog. The greater number of relevant high quality links a blog has the better its ranks with the search engines such as Google.

There are two types. Reciprocal links and one way links. Reciprocal is when two Blog sites agree to link with each other for mutual benefit. This is not always easy to do as you have to find someone who would like to link with you.

One way links are easier to get and point directly to a Blog. If it is from a relevant site it will rate higher than from a non relevant site. The number, or volume, of links is important as well. The more the better.

Here are practical methods to build quality one way links,

Article Directories. Ones that have a high page rank.

Social Media. Facebook and Twitter are good social media sites.

Leave comments on other People’s Blogs.

An ongoing link building program will steadily build the number of links to a Blog. Article directories, social media, and leaving comments on Blogs are practical and not too difficult once you get used to it.

More links build value into a Blog. This is good if the site is going to be sold somewhere down the road. The other obvious benefit is the viral traffic it makes back to your site. More and more people can find you and it is an organic method of search engine optimization. If you want more visitors have a look at quality link building to a Blog. It is one of the most effective traffic generators that I know.

Hi,my name is Jim Cassa. Visit BlogBoogie.com for everything you want to know about Blogging. You can get the latest Blog tips here and I show you how I Blog online.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/blogging-articles/blog-link-building-part-of-every-successful-bloggers-plan-1008090.html

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One major mistake faced by bloggers especially those just starting a new blog is that they fail to write for their audience. Being new to the blogging scene, it may not have occurred to them that good writing is the key to convince visitors to read their blogs.

Many blogs out there are crying for visitors but they do not realize that their scattered thoughts and bad prose are just turning people away. If you want them to read and appreciate your writing, you have to start thinking like a marketer or a copywriter.

It’s all about communication. That’s blogging, writing and marketing.

As one marketer puts it: “Unless your blog is only for your family or your business colleagues, you’re probably writing with the hope that someone will read about what you think.”

So if you want your blog to flourish, you have to write about something that people will find it worth reading. Build a loyal readership with good, unique content because that’s the way to keep them coming back to your blog.

Here are some key factors that make your blog worth reading:

1. Stay true to your topic

Opinions are fine, but unless you’re Google’s head honcho, very few people will want to know what you ate for breakfast. Stick to your gun. If your blog is about gadgets, then write about gadgets.

2. Always write in a conversational style

You can forget what your English teacher taught in school. Forget corporate-speak. Write the way you speak, conversational style. This way you won’t sound uptight and unnatural.

3. Be an opinionated blogger

Don’t bore your readers with pleasant platitudes. Most people respond better to an honest airing of views. Give them a piece of your mind if you will.

4. Be witty and have a sense of humour

Show them you’re someone with a sense of humour and can be very witty in your writing.

5. Know what you’re talking about

If you’re writing about your profession, you’d better know what you are talking about. Most bloggers are well-informed and will throw brickbats at you if you’re found out

7. Update frequently, but don’t burn out

Avoid burnout. Bloggers are only humans, so stick to a publishing schedule that is humanly possible for you. If you’ve just updated your blog and find a story you want to share, save it for later. Don’t work yourself into a corner.

Blogging should not be regarded as a rat race. Pace yourself nicely and you will find it’s a pleasant journey… and rewarding, too.

Freelance writer and web content provider Mark Khoo administrates several niche blogs and some websites. He writes about the blogging experience and other Internet issues

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/blogging-articles/pitfalls-that-new-bloggers-should-avoid-998981.html

The continual demand for content has become a nightmare for most bloggers. There are two choices and neither is palatable. Write the content yourself, or outsource it. Either way it’s a considerable cost.

For most of the people I know, blogging would become their principal—if not their only—road to marketing if only…

If only they could find a way around the two problems associated with article writing… time and/or money.

Those same people would be ecstatic if they could swap hours (or potential hours) of daily article writing for the privilege spending minutes a day once a week to achieve the same result. Minutes a day—not writing—but simply using a mouse to access a simple process in Firepow 2.0

A program that uncovers news items, articles, even videos—and posts them to your blog or blogs, either randomly or in a planned, systematic way of your choice.

That sounds good doesn’t it? I can understand if you are thinking that it’s too good to be true.

Well, fact is, it is true.

It’s part of the new Firepow 2.0, and it’s being used right now by hundreds happy and excited Firepow 2.0 members—all over the world.

I used it for the first time myself a few days ago. My reaction? Sensational… simply sensational!

I believe that once you get used to using it, you’d simply whizz through getting you content into a blog in under 30 min. – max. And that would set up content dribbling into your blog not just for now, but for tomorrow… for the rest of the week… for the rest of the month… and longer if you wanted.

This astonishing Firepow resource, Content Blitz—an innovation of that sensational young Australian Internet marketer, Andrew Hansen, is already altering the world of ‘blogging marketing’

Alex Wilson is a practicing management consultant and Internet marketer from south-east Queensland, Australia, who is has a profound interest in helping people quickly reach their goals in generating online income, and he invites you to discover more about what is generally accepted as the best blogging software on the planet and its collateral learning package here: http://www.firepow2-review.com/recommends/firepow2.php. He also encourages you to visit his blog: http://www.firepow2-review.com/ Do have a good read and leave plenty of comments.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/blogging-articles/firepow20-content-blitza-bloggers-dream-come-true-1002819.html

When looking for information on a new topic, where do you go first? Most people would answer “the Internet.” Now that we find ourselves in this wonderful information age, it’s remarkably easy to find everything from advice on buying a dog to finding a lawyer or looking up the time of the church picnic.

What does this mean for the small business owner? It means that a web presence is absolutely vital in growing your business. Word-of-mouth and referrals are the best way to spread news about your company, but even your existing customers may want to find out more about your hours or fees or services. And who’s going to turn down the business from a customer who chooses your business because of information found on the web?

“But I can’t afford a web designer,” you might say. It really doesn’t need to be as complicated as all that. Sure, companies like Target or Disney or Coke can have videos and close-up pictures and even games. If you’re not running one of those companies, you just want a web presence that will help people find you and the information they need about you. Even a casual computer user can get going with website-building software. Many types, such as SiteSpinner and Ewisoft, are free downloads. You will have to spend a bit of time perusing them to find the one that includes the features you want and directions you can easily follow.

You can build your web presence even further through the use of a weblog (commonly known as a “blog”). Informative articles and up-to-date information about your business can help potential customers find you and make the decision to use your services over that of a competitor. Again, you don’t need to be intimidated by the Internet. There is plenty of help for the creation and maintenance of a blog, most notably the free download WordPress. This flexible application can assist you in customizing and optimizing the content you provide.

If you consider yourself more of a business person than a creative type, you may be stumped for ideas. Again, don’t let the notion of a web presence intimidate you! Begin by deciding what information customers will most need (e.g., general introduction, directions, calendars). Find sites you admire and decide what about them catches your attention. Get started on blogging ideas by checking out a WordPress gallery to see how others have incorporated written updates.

On of the biggest advantages of the Internet is its flexibility. You can begin with baby steps, whatever minimal work makes you comfortable, and eventually lead up to a complete, customer-generating, web presence.

Elle Wood likes to share her love of Wordpress with businesses big and small. For more information regarding <a rel=”nofollow” target=”_blank” href=””Wordpress”>http://www.welovewp.com””>Wordpresss, please visit http://www.welovewp.com.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/blogging-articles/why-we-love-wordpress-1001939.html

There are many different ways to market your online home business without spending any money at all. However, you must keep in mind that time is money so this method may not be totally free after all, but you won’t have to dig into your pockets to start making money online. In this article we will discuss one free way to get noticed by the major search engines almost immediately working from home using the power of blogs.

There are two types of blogs you can set up within a few minutes. Blogger.com is well known throughout the Internet market arena that you can join for free and start loading valuable content to pages as fast as you are willing to work it. One main drawback to Blogger.com is that you are not in total control of your sites content. The reason is you’re not able to host this blog on your own hosting account which limits your control.

On the other hand, WordPress Blog can be hosted by your own website hosting which gives you a lot more control of its content and everything else. This doesn’t mean that you can’t make a full time income using Blogger Blogs; the real difference is who really have control over which blog you choose.

There are many people who use Blogger Blogs that are making a great income online. In some cases they maybe easier to get ranked by the search engine because of its popularity and who’s hosting it. So either of the two really does have its advantages.

With Wordpress Blogs there are numbers of plugins that can be very beneficial to its user. With these versatile, this particular blog has become very popular over the last few years. In fact, many gurus will only use WordPress Blogs because of the advantages they have. However, if you’ve used a Blogger Blog for a long time period, you may want to think twice before you abandon it because of its possible authority it may have.

Thousands of people work from home using one or both of these blog websites and make a full time income.  The great thing about these websites is using social bookmarking. You can make a posting to your blog and bookmark it at several bookmarking sites and have your posting in front of thousands within a few minutes. Unlike writing articles and submitting them to article directories and waiting to have them approved which is a good thing, your blog postings can be recognized almost immediately.

If you work from home and have a product you like to sell or if you are an affiliate marketer who sells other peoples product online, you may want to consider using blogs along with your article writings for maximum exposure. No one will know about your products unless you take the time to come up with a good Internet marketing strategy that could not only benefit the buyers, but you also. I wish you the very best with your new online Internet marketing strategies. 

Discover the power of Blogging to the Bank by using blogs along with your article marketing strategies. You can work from home and receive a year of tips and strategies for free delivered straight to your inbox when you sign up for my newsletter today.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/blogging-articles/work-from-home-should-you-keep-your-blogger-blog-or-move-to-wordpress-989701.html

Let’s put this rumor to rest: It’s rumored that Google retains rights (copyright) to your content that you blog with them. This is false. You have the rights to your content, but Google keeps the rights for their intellectual property. Their terms of service explains this in detail. http://www.blogger.com/terms.g

Limitations of content. Google is authorized to limit, or even terminate your account when your content violates their service conditions. (This is not a factor for most writers, the permitted content is very broad - and is limited mainly to hate and illegal activities) Using Wordpress, you host your blog on the hosting account that you possess. While you have power over your content, you may yet be bound to the restrictions of the TOS or terms that your web hosting company lays out.

Simplicity of Installation: It’s usually easier to install Blogger. If Fantastico is not included in your hosting service, it can be difficult to install Wordpress unless you are comfortable using your server control panel and FTP.

Google is superior in terms of its customizable features. It is possible to revise the format of templates, designs, and layout much easier with Blogger. In the event the way your template initially looks is not adequate, you’ll have to use or learn PHP and HTML if you use Wordpress.

Each platform offers dozens of templates; and private individuals have created even more template formats, with the numbers on the rise still. Most third-party templates are free, but they will accept donations. Don’t worry, they are polite about asking for contributions and any that I’ve seen do not spam you or require you to register — though they may request that you retain a very small and unobtrusive link to their website to help them out.

Other widely-used blog software types include Xanga, Drupal (major learning curve), Joomla, and much more.

No charge blog hosting can be found at wordpress.com, Blogger, Myspace, TypePad, and many more.

In the final analysis, it truly is based on the amount of control you desire to have over the look and functionality your site, as well as your tech-savviness. For those familiar with HTML, and willing to learn the relatively simple PHP, WordPress is a good bet. For those simply wishing to begin a blog, or those on a budget, opt for Google.
 

Stephen Grisham, Sr. is a copy writer for InfoServe Media, LLC. If You are looking for web designers, Houston is the place to go. If you already have a website, InfoServe Media also offers expert website maintenance.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/blogging-articles/wordpress-or-blogger-which-to-choose-980024.html

It’s smart to start your blog on good footing. It’s difficult to change software and begin all over again. Blogging with “free” blog hosting? It’s true what they say, “You get what you pay for.”

Pay for website hosting for your blog if you can afford it and verify that your server can support Wordpress.

When weighing your options as far as which company should host your blog, make sure that WordPress (and Fantastico unless you are quite computer literate) are included with the hosting that you select. Fantastico will automatically install Wordpress for you. If it does not have Fantastico, you will have to do the difficult task of downloading and installing Wordpress yourself.

Wordpress does not require you to be a programmer. You can start it immediately after it is installed, and begin blogging in no time.

For what reason should you use WordPress, and not another type of blogging software? WordPress is the top brand. It has existed for quite some time. There is an wide variety of themes available through WordPress. (The appearance and feel of your blog can be altered with themes.) There is no need to know how to design or code, unless you want to make a change to “canned” functionality.

Plug-Ins - You can add intriguing functions to your blog by using the plug-ins. You have the option of selecting a third-party plug-in or, if you know PHP, then you can make your own. The WordPress website has plug-ins available. They have a wide variety and they offer multiple functions, including a plug-in that will generate an XML sitemap of your site for Google.

You are provided with complete control over your blog through WordPress. Your options are limitless. Great user management is available through WordPress. For instance, articles can be written by authors, and upon approval, those articles can be published by editors. Administrators can even alter the design of the blog.

Don’t waste hours of your time only to have to tear it all down and convert it over to Wordpress.

Stephen Grisham, Sr. is a copy writer for InfoServe Media, LLC. If you are looking for web design in Houston, or if you just need a few changes to an existing site, InfoServe Media also offers website maintenance. Fast and Affordable.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/blogging-articles/wordpress-blog-software-second-to-none-966888.html