Choosing The Right Blogging Platform For Your Blog

Choosing The Right Blogging Platform For Your Blog

People who think of starting a blog, at first never think about which platform would be the ideal choice for them to blog. Believe me choosing the right blogging platform must be the priority of every blogger.

The right blogging platform will make your blogging more smooth and the bad choice can be painfully frustrating.

The blogging platform you choose to blog on becomes a part of your blogging journey too. So, taking some time out to research for the ideal platform is well worth.

The ideal blogging platform is one that provides an excellent user-friendly interface and good themes that allow making your blog flexible, responsive, thus making it looks and feel unique.

Finding the right platform to blog is not so difficult but takes some time to research on all various available platforms, doing this you will find the perfect blogging platform in no time.

The first step in deciding which type of platform is suitable for your blog, is sorting by priorities in terms of ease of use, level of customization you want to have, the UI & UX, community support, flexibility etc. 

High customizable blogging platforms like WIX, Weebly etc is sometimes quite difficult to carry out some tasks.

Whereas platforms like WordPress which are automated is comparatively easy to use and blog. If you are someone who is alien to web development, then you may not be able to create a custom background, integrating forms, or making some custom design changes in your blog template. But people who are familiar with HTML, CSS, Javascript and php can feel the restrictions of a user-friendly platform to be frustrating.

One thing that you should know is that there is nothing such as the perfect blogging platform because it depends upon each blogger what type of function they seek in a blogging software.

Individual bloggers have their own unique sort of taste for their blog. So, different platforms are available that are made keeping in mind to meet the needs of different kinds of blogger undertaking different kinds of blogging topics.

So many blogging software gives newbie bloggers the chance to try and get accustomed to the ones that suit their level of technical aptitude.

Read reviews of every blogging platform you find correct for you and try them once to see if anyone of them is worth the choice.

Remember there is no such thing as the perfect platform for every blogger, so instead of looking for the "best" platform, look for the best platform for your that matches your specific conditions.

Importance of Long Tail Keywords in SEO

Importance of Long Tail Keywords in SEO

Long tail keywords work far better outside advertising by means of fan pages, occasion pages, groups and far more. 

Bear in thoughts that everything on Facebook is search engine indexed, and you are able to better understand the significance and advantage of long tail keywords in content. Long tail keywords get more visitors within the lengthy run because you can rank a lot more easily for them. 

Long tail keywords are employed when the web site desires to refine search terms towards the internet page, as well as once the searcher is trying to find some thing instead specific. 

Like typical search phrases, long tail keywords are utilized to define what's on the internet page and what the publisher desires to become discovered beneath in search engines and on search engine outcomes pages.

Long tail keywords appearing to have potential should be copied for potential use inside your marketing. And don't underestimate the effect of putting real hours and work into performing your keyword research; your good results depends on this truth. 

Long tail keywords are so much less complicated to rank for, and it creates a lot better conversions which is the whole point anyway. Several individuals get to caught up with just trying to get visitors anyway they can, but when there not using your service than there's no point. Long tail keywords are extremely specific in nature along with the folks who are making use of to search them know what they want. 

So long tail keywords really are a more definite method to get to out for your target marketplace and get search engine traffic that converts.

Search volume will likely be a lot greater for that a lot more basic terms than the long-tail terms, but more than time the searches for your long tail variations will add up, and you will begin seeing that within your Analytics. 

Talking of variations, you're limiting yourself in case you only concentrate on one or two words terms since there's no keyword variety there. Search positioning will even enhance dramatically since competitors for these keyword-phrases is a lot reduce than with single-keywords. Reduce competition also implies decrease PPC expenses.

Analyze your search phrases nicely so customers can search your web site simply with Google. Long tail keywords are fantastic for search engine optimization (Search engine optimization). Research is much more essential than you may think. 

Without sufficient study, you can end up with irrelevant phrases or ones that have been utilized by a lot of on the internet companies in your niche. 

Analysis efforts really should not show to become so arduous, when your marketplace section is picked, and should you make use of the keyword study capability. For this particular scenario, we are able to use "weight loss" because the example to explain precisely how performing the keyword research will function for you personally.

Google decided that, to be able to keep its popularity as the very best Search Engine in the entire vast planet, they've to place a cease to this abuse. Within the immediate long run, if you wish to rank for lengthy tails, you will need to be sure your blog is about people search phrases that you might be ranking for. 

Google is now in a position to index longer keyword phrases far more accurately. It seems that Google guessed the most effective pages for long keyword phrases until lately according to other signals and key phrases around the indexed pages.

Google is actually putting greater weight now around the quantity of like words or phrases integrated in duplicate focusing on specific keywords and phrases. Attempt to come across a method to use purposely misspelled keywords and phrases and synonyms throughout on your web site within a way that does not harm your picture but that rather permits you to make use of the text to offer your copy the greatest marketplace get to.

Choosing Your Keywords Wisely

Choosing Your Keywords Wisely

The keywords and key phrases that you choose to put into your content are critical to your success. They will make or break your business. If they are effective, the search engines will react to them in a positive manner. On the other hand, if they are not effective, you won't make any progress at all.

How to choose the most effective keywords and key phrases possible 

Before you even start to write any content and before you even consider which keywords to use in your content, it will probably be very helpful to analyze which keywords will work best for your content. As you are conducting your research, you will want to study how marketers are using keywords. If you learn the concepts behind the choices, you will be able to use those concepts over and over again in a very successful manner.

As you are studying, you will discover that the marketers have identified trends and are able to forecast what can (and will) happen in the near future. That is very valuable information to have at your disposal. That information can enable you to have a leg up when it comes to your competitors so that you will be noticed by other people who need and want what you are offering. If you are able to do that, you will be successful.

You may be wondering exactly how you should choose the metrics that are most important to the success of your brand. Well, here are some that will most likely help:

Volume of search terms 

When it comes to keywords and key phrases, you will want to pay attention to volume. If a keyword or key term is popular, the chances are that you will have more people paying attention to the content that you are putting out there. That means that your keywords and key phrases will probably be found higher on the search engines pages. The more that happens, the great the number of people who will visit your website will be.

Of course, that will ultimately translate into your eventually having an increased number of clients and a better revenue stream. That concept is actually quite simple. Your keywords and key phrases are still (and will probably always be) critical to the success of your brand. One way to get a clear understanding of how your chosen keywords and key phrases will do is to research how similar keywords and key phrases have done for other people.

Study the current trends 

You will want to search volume for certain trends. You undoubtedly want your search terms to do well and to bring the people to you. This is another analytic element that you would do well to pay attention to. The (obviously) main reason that you want to pay attention to metrics is so that you can identify what is working and what is not working for you. That way, you can keep doing what is working and either tweak or eliminate what is not working.

It is important to be aware that not all keywords and key phrases will produce the exact same results. However, there will be many that do achieve certain results and have similar movement. The analytics tool will show you the trends that are important for you to identify and work with. You will want to focus on keywords and key phrases that are not time-sensitive because you will definitely get more bang for your buck in that case. Evergreen is definitely the way to go.

Be intimately acquainted with your competition 

Interestingly, if you ask most business owners, they will probably say that they really don't have any competition in business. Of course, that is almost never the case. When it comes to keywords and key phrases, you will want to go for those that have less competition because that makes them more unique and, therefore, more memorable and more interesting. It may be challenging to find those words and phrases but once you do, you will be glad that you made the choices that you made because the results will really be favorable.

The search results that turn up 

Of course, you want your keywords and key phrases to produce a robust number of results. The more search results that show up, the better your chances of people finding you. If your content is optimized, the results that are produced will be the most effective ones for your business. This is definitely a metric that you will want to pay attention to. It will help you to evaluate the effect that your competitors are having on your target audience so that you can hone what you are doing in order to keep up with the competitors.

The strength/value of your keywords and key phrases 

Naturally, you not only want to use keywords and key phrases but you want to use the best possible keywords and key phrases for your particular business. The value of your keywords and key phrases is an extremely important factor for your business. The stronger they are, the better your results will be. You can learn a lot about this by paying attention to what your competitors are doing here as well. If they can achieve positive results, so can you.

Pay attention to past trends 

If you have been in business for a while, you probably understand how to use your data from the past to achieve greater success in the future. You can use those data to identify trends and patterns that worked well for your business. It is a very good idea to go back and review what you did and exactly what sorts of results those actions produced. The trends will help you tremendously to understand exactly how you should proceed and what to expect.

Conclusion 

Paying attention to analytics is invaluable to your brand and to your business. Of course, you will want to choose keywords that are really relevant to your brand. Those keywords and key phrases will help you to generate more valuable traffic to your website. Analytics will allow you to identify trends and to make forecasts for the near and distant future. It will also enable you to understand which keywords and key phrases to use and why

Cheap Web Space Hosting

Cheap Web Space Hosting

DOCKER WEB HOSTING:

Usually when it comes of web hosting, most of the hosting companies fall either into cPanel/WHM camp or Plesk mask. Sure, they offer all that is needed for a better traditional hosting. 

As we know that docker is an open platform for distributed applications and has rapidly gained a lot of popularity that's why docker web hosting not only allows replicating in the exact environment but also make possible to run deployments against different environment. 

But as more websites are developed with specific applications as base, hosting might be better to be off with those applications.

OFFER SPECIALIZED Docker HOSTING:

Traditional hosting needs to let know the customer about the web hosting concepts and the panels that are cPanel and plesk evolved to make the server management quite less complex. But now new demands are increasing for specialized hosting solutions such as magneto hosting, WordPress hosting.

BENEFITS OF Docker HOSTING:

Webmasters have very specific requirements these days on what technology stack they need. Docker web hosting can give you a lot of technology as an advantage. Now to make turn-key solution a successful so docker web hosting should be able to concern about all solutions and problems provides a good security, integration and performance with many popular tools.

ACCOUNTS CUSTOMIZATION:

It is really very common for hosting customers to ask for any specific versions of either PHP, or any external access for data bases. Customizations usually invalidate one's default server hardening. Just adjust firewalls and service settings to block unusual attempts through many customize ports and services.

ISOLATION OF SECURITY:

Docker web hosting customers are not proficient in VPS server management system which mostly occurs and results in software upgrade errors and many of spam issues. These customers only want to stabilize the web system and applications.

CUSTOMER CARE:

Customers should get resolutions quickly at any service issues on docker web hosting. Cpanel and plesk do not have a solution to these issues so that's why docker hosting application platform gains importance. These container technologies help you to extend the market of SaaS and PaaS without any additional investment.

LOWER COST HOSTING:

Docker hosting containers achieve up to 5 times more the server density of typical VPS solutions. So could provide lower costing of hosting and that's what solves all problems related to hosting.

Even these hosting servers prevent spamming and those containers isolate customers who face security issues.

While doing hosting one can build server images that contain supporting applications.

CONCLUSION:

If you would like to understand how to make your server technical support and infrastructure more good and efficient, we would be happy to talk to you.

You can find all what you need to know about docker hosting as well as benefit of docker web hosting. Say Hello to new technologies. You will have amazing options in Docker hosting panel.

What Is Reseller Hosting? How Does It Work?

What Is Reseller Hosting? How Does It Work?

  

Some of the companies have enjoyed the benefits after they have chosen to host the website along with a reseller. On the other hand, some companies have not been satisfied with their reseller host. Therefore, they may find it easier to open a reseller account that they can directly operate. However, in order to know how you can make the most out of reseller hosting, you must know every detail about the process and decide if it'll work for you.

Facts about reseller hosting:

Sometimes it is seen that the hosts charge the reseller based on the number of clients. Therefore, as soon as the reseller includes a client, the reseller has to pay the host a certain amount of money. However, you can also make your choice from different available packages. Different host companies come up with different packages for reseller hosting and each of these packages offer various features. Some of the common features that you'll definitely see in these packages are:

• ·       You can not only accomplish your own strategies but you can also constitute different types of accounts based on your requirements
• ·       The parent hosting organization gives you the privilege of branding your own company that is dedicated to web hosting and that is invisible to the clients
• ·       You enjoy the bandwidth
• ·       You also get to host the domain
• ·       You get a certain amount of disc space
• ·       You can offer the same features that the patent company offers its clients to your clients. Features like monitoring tools, emails, additional scripts, control panel etc. make the process of reseller hosting lucrative

Why you should choose Reseller Hosting:

Many service providers, as well as product developers who are dependent on the technology of the internet, choose web hosting services. You can purchase web hosting so that you can meet all your requirements at a time. On the contrary, you can deal with a company that already has web hosting service available in their package.

There are some services such as consultants for internet marketing, graphic designers, database programmers, website designers and web copywriters that can provide you with web hosting as a part of their reseller hosting program. As companies associated with these services make a purchase of bulk web space, they try to utilize it. Therefore, you often get a good deal from the companies that are associated with the mentioned services.

The factors that you should keep in mind while dealing with a web hosting reseller:

Though most of the web hosting resellers are reputed and they provide quality service to you, sometimes you may have to encounter hosts who aren't loyal to their work. You must remember that all the resellers are not eligible of providing support in case you need any. 

Thus, you have to wait until the parent company provides you with customer support. In some of the cases, you may encounter issues like power disruption, a lower percentage of uptime. Therefore, you must make sure that the parent company of the reseller host that you are choosing is strong enough and has a market presence.

Some of the resellers either offer you less number of features or they simply increase the charge levied on you for using the hosting service. You can save some money if you choose to go with the parent company instead of choosing the reseller host. 

Occasionally, you may not be satisfied with the way the reseller host controls your website. You may not be able to access the information you need or move your website because the control is in the hands of the reseller host. 

Though this doesn't take place generally, at times you may have to face issues and it's better to be aware of these beforehand. In case you are already encountering the difficulties, make sure to find out which parent company the reseller is working with and contact the parent company immediately.

How you can start reseller hosting:

Some of you want to add web hosting to your existing services so that you can serve your users in a better way. Some others of you may be simply interested in the process of web hosting and want to start your own company. No matter what the reason is behind you wanting to run a web hosting company, you must be aware of how to start the process in the first place. 

You can follow some easy steps that will guide you through the process of web hosting without any problem. The steps are:

• ·       Make sure that you do a good amount of research to find out which web hosting companies offer the reseller hosting feature
• ·       Make sure to make an estimation of the new customers that you can add immediately after you set up your new company. The calculation helps you to determine which package you must choose
• ·       Make sure to clarify the different sizes and types of the packages that you will offer your customers
• ·       Fix the price that customers have to pay for availing your packages or the amount that the existing customers have to add if you are offering web hosting as a value-added service
• ·       Make sure to compare among different Reseller Hosting Plans so that you can understand which is best suited for your requirements and also your budget
• ·       Sign the contract only for the reseller package that will cater to your needs perfectly
• ·       Make sure to get the information and instruction from the parent company so that you can set up your packages seamlessly
• ·       As soon as you are done with setting up, start marketing campaigns and add new customers
• ·       Make sure to provide support to your customers so that your business starts to grow

·       The benefits of reseller hosting plan:

·      Without mentioning some of the benefits of reseller hosting plans, the article will be incomplete.

·       The white label allows you to acquire your own customer base under your brand name

·       You can customize the packages based on the requirements of your clients.

·       The control panel gives the opportunity to the clients to manage the primary aspects of web hosting

There are many preinstalled applications such as WordPress, Drupal etc. that the clients can enjoy

You can now decide whether you need a reseller hosting or not as you have acquired the knowledge needed to understand what it is and how it works.

Difference Between Linux and Windows Dedicated Servers Introduction to VPS Hosting

Difference Between Linux and Windows Dedicated Servers Introduction to VPS Hosting

A few years back, there was a fundamental difference between Windows Dedicated Server Hosting and Linux. However, nowadays the companies that use different hosting enjoys compatible services that reduce the difference to some extent.

 If you invest in a wrong server or a hosting package, no amount of trying will make you satisfied. Therefore, it is essential that you choose a server or hosting package only after understanding the similarities and differences of the servers. You must also make sure to decide the working system before you can choose a server or a hosting package.

Accessibility: One of the primary difference that you'll see in Windows Dedicated Server Hosting and Linux is the way you access each of the servers. Though both the servers allow you to access it through FTP and follow a decorum for transferring information, you can access a server remotely only through Linux Hosting. You can exchange files in both the servers, but only Windows Dedicated Server Hosting allows you to access more grave parts of the server by giving you the advanced control option.

Development: The requirement of the technicians and the programmers are kept in mind while designing and developing Linux Hosting system standard. These applications are utilized later so that as an end customer you get the best functionality based on the Linux Hosting system. Besides, you can also enjoy the development that takes place in the Linux Hosting system so that you get an improved service. 

On the contrary to Linux Hosting system, Windows Dedicated Server Hosting is developed directly for the end customer. Therefore, it's less complicated.

Programming language: Another mentionable difference between Linux Hosting and Windows Dedicated Server Hosting is the programming languages used for both the servers. While the service providers create Linux Hosting system with the help of CGI, PHP or Perl programming language, Windows Dedicated Server Hosting is created with the help of ColdFusion, ASP, and.NET. 

You can find differences even in the database management system as Linux uses MySQL database management and Windows Hosting utilizes either SQL Server or MS Access. Thus, you can understand the factors that directly influence the process of development of websites and even applications that are connected to either of these platforms.

Features: Sometimes you will see that some of the developers try to make the websites or applications Windows Server friendly so that those can run on Windows systems smoothly. However, applications or websites on Linux Hosting system can run on Windows computers as well.

 In that case, you don't face any issues related to the programming language of the server and you can access data easily. Another benefit that you can enjoy while utilizing the facility of any of the servers is that you get the support of the root chairman. 

Therefore, you can run any assignment without confronting any problems. Linux Hosting system is good in terms of dedicated servers and it is becoming more strong with the availability of software and applications that are based on it.

Usage: One of the main reasons that Windows Dedicated Server Hosting has become so popular is the easy to use interface. As the user interface of Windows Dedicated Server Hosting has the ease of accessing, you can access and oversee the connected machines effortlessly. 

You have to simply sign up into your server account to access the nearby connected machines. However, you may require some time to get used to the procedure as the process can run only with certain orders that may become annoying sometimes. On the other hand, the usage has become significantly easy as different people have put their thoughts while creating Windows Dedicated Server Hosting system. 

You don't have to worry about facing any issues while utilizing the server because of the simple yet effective user interface of the system.

Security: In terms of security, it's well-known that Linux Hosting system is more secure than Windows Dedicated Server Hosting. You can access the working system of Linux without paying any amount. Therefore, you can make changes that can improve the service of the server as well. 

The source code is openly accessible to anyone. In the course of keeping the source open, hackers have tried to break into the server and collapse the system, but they have failed. 

This is possible only because the large community that has been supporting the creation and improvement of Linux Hosting services. In spite of being an open source.

On the contrary, Windows Dedicated Server Hosting patches the gaps by developing some Service Packs or Windows Updates or Patches. There's a dedicated team of developers who try to keep the hosting server secure. 

Windows system is more prone to virus attack even though the server is closed-source. A large portion of the applications is customized as per the requirement of the users in general and not specific to your personal requirement. 

In either of the servers, the qualified professionals take care of the security of the servers and maintain the safety so that you can use the servers without facing any difficulty.

Expense: The final and most important point that you must keep in mind and that can be a deciding factor for you is the expense for both the servers. You must be an authorized user of Windows Dedicated Server Hosting as this is a Microsoft product and its safety measures are quite strict. 

Therefore, you have to pay a colossal amount to use the server and the charges may not be recurring. On the other hand, you can access Linux Hosting system without paying anything as this is an open-source program. 

Thus, the expenses levied on you is basically nothing. It is clear that Linux Hosting system is cost-effective in comparison with Windows Dedicated Server Hosting system.

In conclusion, it can be said that your primary concern should be how the information is passed on to your website. Therefore, as a customer, you must interact with the programmer. Similarly, it's the responsibility of the developer to talk to you so that the requirements can be fulfilled based on the available features of either Linux Hosting system or Windows Dedicated Server Hosting system. You must remember that your request as per your need should always be considered to be imperative.

SEO Marketing 2018: Top Trends to Focus On

SEO Marketing 2018: Top Trends to Focus On

In the world of search engine optimisation, 2017 was a busy year in terms of an increase in voice search and stricter rules for AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages). In 2018, there have been some more exciting developments that you can adopt to stay ahead of your competitors. Keep reading to stay up-to-date with the latest SEO marketing trends.

Personalised Search Results

During the last few years, customised search results have developed steadily and are taking centre stage in 2018. Irrespective of whether it is browser cookies, individual search history, location or interests, Google has been emphasising on the importance of personalising SERPs (search engine results pages) for individuals.

 Personalised is expected to continue to be the point of emphasis thanks to proliferation of smart speakers and other such technological advancements. As this is making it a daunting task for businesses to determine how they are ranking or what they are ranking for, more and more businesses are turning to professional SEO marketing agency for assistance.

Improved Image and Video Search

Videos and images have heavily featured in online interactions over the last couple of years. Faster Internet speed and social media platforms like, Facebook and Instagram are some of the contributing factor to this, which led to increased engagement. 

To keep pace with enhanced engagement, Google and also other search engines have been modifying the way videos and images show up on search results. Even though SEO marketing with videos and images is challenging, it fetches high return on investment.

Voice Search is Gaining Traction

In 2018, the sale of smart speakers, such as Apple HomePod, Amazon Echo and Google Home continue to increase. This is making voice search grow in importance. As opposed to typing in a search query on mobile devices or computers, users can now save time and use their voice to get the search results that they are looking for. 

However, voice search queries greatly differ from typed search queries. To keep up, you need to ensure that the keywords or phrases used are as natural-sounding as possible.

Rise of Hyperlocal Marketing

Hyperlocal marketing took off in 2017 as a way to target audience in close proximity to one's business. Thanks to technological advancements, it is now possible to target the local community a lot more closely.

In fact, you can even target individuals by analysing user behaviour, purchasing history, location, interests and so on. So, you need to pay attention to your local SEO efforts in order to grow your brand locally.

Prevalence of the Knowledge Graph

Knowledge graph of Google has been around since 2012, but it has only recently started to replace featured snippets when web users are asking questions. 

Compared to featured snippets that include an extracted summary from a webpage, along with the link to the page, knowledge graphs provide users with a lot more. For instance, if you search for a movie, the results will not only show you the usual summary, but also information about the actors in the movie, movie times, theatres, movie's social media pages and so on. 

Since knowledge graphs provider users with more information than what they have entered into Google search, it is increasingly replacing featured snippets to provide users with a fantastic search experience.

Moving Beyond Google

Google is undoubtedly the dominant search engine and you need to optimise your web pages according to its algorithms.

But, everybody is not using Google and you cannot depend on one single source for getting search engine traffic. Moreover, search engines like, Yahoo and Bing have a high conversion rate. 

So, optimise your web pages for Google, as well as, other search engines.

Stay ahead of your competitors by implementing the aforementioned SEO marketing trends. If you require more information, get in touch with well-known professionals offering SEO services.

5 Ways To Boost Your Blog Right Now

5 Ways To Boost Your Blog Right Now

Blogging is an important resource for marketing any business. A good blog will help to build your business, especially if your business is an online business. Here are 5 simple ways you can boost your blog right now to create more momentum in your business.

1. Check Your Headlines

The headline is the first thing a visitor sees. It must be interesting enough to get that person to stay and read the rest of your post. Think about frequently asked questions, skills they need in their niche, and more. What are the things your audience struggle with? Offer them real solutions.

2. Examine Your Content

You can start improving blog content with your opening line. It should be 8 words or less and "lure" your visitor right away by building the curiosity to read more. The content should be simple to read. Break up text by using bulleted or numbered lists, subheadings, bolding, italics and images. Use transitions between paragraphs to bring the reader from one idea to the next. Write about the Who, What, When, Where and Why of your topic. Finally, you can add in the How of any topic too and come up with a great blog post.

3. What About Your Visuals?

Content without images can be very boring on the eye so include at least one relevant image in each post. It gives the visitor a quick and easy view at what the content will be about. People are very visual, and if you use an eye-catching image on your blog, your readers are much more likely to share your post on social media.

4. Check Your Stats

While there are many different blog statistic programs, most continue to use Goggle Analytics because it works the best. 

The three things you should look for are:

1. Traffic source: Where are your visitors coming from?
2. Bounce rate: The percentage of people that visit your site, but don't dig deeper and end up leaving. A high bounce rate can indicate something is wrong in your blog causing them not to stay.
3. Site overlay: For the people that choose to stay, where are they going in your blog? Or more crucial yet, where are they not going?

5. What's Your Call-To-Action?

If you want your visitor to go somewhere from your blog post, you must have a highly visible means of getting your visitor to go there. A highlighted word that contains a link could accomplish that. Or use a colorful button that tells them to do something like 'Subscribe', 'Download' or 'Get It Now'. Make it simple but yet highly visible.

WordPress Blogging Tips to Help You Get Started

WordPress Blogging Tips to Help You Get Started

If you want to start a blog, WordPress is probably the easiest and most user friendly application you can use. There are even simpler options -such as using a free online blogging service such as Blogger.com, but then you really don't have much control over your own site.

With WordPress, you get the best of both worlds -an easy to understand platform and unlimited features that enable you to grow your blog and add bells and whistles as you learn.

WordPress.org vs WordPress.com

First, I should point out that there are two WordPresses. They are run by the same company, but WordPress.com is a service that hosts your blog for you -like Blogger, Tumblr and other third party sites. These are often called Web 2.0 sites. There's nothing wrong with creating your blog this way, but it does limit you in some ways.

When you use WordPress.com or any Web 2.0 site, you don't own the blog. You are simply renting space on it. This means that the host can delete your blog at any time. This happens if you are deemed in violation of any TOS (terms of service). It's surprisingly easy to do this, even without meaning to.

For example, WordPress.com does not allow you to make your blog commercial in any way. So if you want to start a business or even make a few extra dollars every month, this is not the way to go.

Another reason why WordPress.com and other such sites are not ideal is that you will have a harder time with SEO and generating traffic than if you owned the blog. That's because most of the "link juice" generated by your article will go to the host rather than your specific site.

That's why WordPress.org is what I'm going to focus on here. This is when you buy a domain, get hosting and start your own blog.

Choosing a Domain and Web Host

Your domain is your URL -the address of your website or blog. If you haven't chosen one yet, you will have to do this first. If you don't have web hosting either, you will also need this. You can combine these if you want. Many web hosting companies offer you a free domain when you sign up for hosting.

When choosing a web hosting company, it's good to pick one that has a lot of experience with WordPress. If you really want to be sure of this, you might go with WP Engine, a company that specializes in WordPress. They are, however, a little more expensive than most web hosts.

If you want to save money, you can still find a good web host that can support your WordPress site. Bluehost, for example, is highly recommended for this. They are even recommended by WordPress itself.

One suggestion I will make here is that, whatever web host you choose, try to pick a plan that gives you unlimited domains/websites. Sometimes one host will offer several different plans. 

The difference in price is usually only a few dollars per month.

The point is that creating WordPress blogs can be addictive! You will probably not want to stop with one. So you may as well have a hosting plan that lets you create as many as you want.

When choosing a domain, try to keep it short and simple. If you want your blog to rank well in the search engines, choose some good keywords in the title. These are words that people will actually search for when looking for information.

If your domain is something like Bobsblog.com or Marysblog.com, you will have a personalized name but not one that is likely to help you with SEO (search engine optimization). 

This is of particular importance if you intend to sell something. If you only want a blog to share with your friends, family members, co-workers, etc. then it's not important.

How to Install WordPress

Installing WordPress is quite easy with most major web hosting companies. You usually use a script installer such as Fantastico or Softaculous (your web host probably has one of these -look on your control panel). You can then install WordPress in a few clicks.

I don't want to waste too much space here describing the steps of installing WordPress, because you can find this at your web hosting company. There are also numerous articles and videos on this topic.

What Should You Blog About?

This doesn't seem like it should be a problem, but many people experience "blogger's block" after writing a post or two. I'm assuming that you've already chosen your topic. After all, if you can't even think of a topic, it's not really a good time to start a blog yet!

But even when you have a topic that interests you, it can be challenging to think of actual posts to write. For this, you may need to do some research for inspiration. Here are some ideas.

Set Google Alerts -You can get emails from Google that will deliver news to your inbox based on some keywords you choose.

Amazon -Check out what books are popular. Also check out their magazine section!

Other Blogs -check out Google Blogs and see what others in your niche are writing about. You don't want to copy them, but you may get ideas you can put your own spin on.

Offline Books and Magazines -Go to the library, bookstore and magazine section at Barnes & Noble (or wherever magazines are sold). Read newspapers. These are all great sources for ideas.

Consistency is the Key to Success

If you have a blog, you have to write blog posts! This is really the most important "secret" to having a successful blog, believe it or not. You hear a lot today about "quality content," which is, of course, important.

If you are populating your blog with auto-generated or spun content (if you don't know what that is, don't worry about it -you're better off!) you won't get very far. The search engines are quick to recognize this as low quality content. However, you do have to generate posts on a regular basis.

Forgetting about the search engines for a moment, when a visitor sees that a blog hasn't been updated in months, he or she is likely to conclude that it isn't very active or relevant. You probably do the same when you are looking up new sites online.

Search engines also love blogs that are frequently updated. It also gives you more content for them to index. Let's say a few words about SEO, as long as we're on that topic.

The Vast Universe of WordPress Plugins

Once you get more familiar with WordPress, you may want to start looking into more advanced features. This often means adding plugins. These are tools that you upload to your WordPress site to perform a variety of functions.

Plugins can be used for security, SEO, to create forums or membership sites, to place contact forms on your site or hundreds of other things. Plugins give you the ability to accomplish many tasks that would otherwise require advanced knowledge of coding.

There are so many plugins for WordPress it would be impossible to keep up with them all. At first, you may not think you need any plugins -and this is true. Yet it's so easy to use them that you may as well get your feet wet and install some basic ones.

You can access the plugins settings from your WordPress dashboard.

·       Akismet -This anti-spam plugin is already included when you install WordPress, but you have to get an API key to activate it. There are instructions on how to do this.

·       Google XML Sitemaps -This makes it easy for Google and other search engines to index your posts and pages.

·       W3 Total Cache -This is a great plugin to help your site load faster and operate more efficiently. It does this by caching posts, pages, databases, scripts and other elements that take up space.

·       BulletProof Security -Helps keep your site safe from attacks. This is important, as hackers often target WordPress sites.

·       WordPress SEO by Yoast -Makes it much easier to optimize your site for the search engines.

The above is a very abbreviated list of what you can do with plugins. If you have any particular needs or ideas for special features for your blog, chances are there's a plugin that can help you achieve this.

WordPress: The Perfect Place For Your Blog to Evolve

What makes WordPress so amazing for bloggers is that it can help you at any stage of your blogging career. For rank beginners, it makes it easy to set up a barebones blog. Advanced users can play with all the configurations and plugins.

Yet WordPress is still just a tool. It's up to you to come up with awesome content so people have a reason to visit your blog!

Amazing Blogging Tips for Beginner Bloggers

Amazing Blogging Tips for Beginner Bloggers

You're probably here because someone told you, "You ought to start a blog!" so you did... And now you don't know what to do next.

Here's a long list of blogging tips that every blogger should have in their lists of ideas and things to do.

• Start by writing something EVERY single day. Don't worry so much about what, just write. The more you write, the better you'll be. The better you get, the more interesting your content will become.

• Write about what you already know. Don't try to reinvent yourself on your blog. Write what you know, what you already have an interest in, and to those people who are already your friends.

• Don't try to impress anyone with your first blog post. Just write it. Get started. If you don't ever start, you'll never get anywhere, so start. Write the first post.

• Share it. I know it probably isn't the most impressive thing on the internet, nobody cares. Share it. Tell your friends. Tell your family, and convince them to at least go read it. Leave a message, and the comment on their message.

• If someone asked you a question in the responses, WRITE another blog post to answer their question. Expand on the answer a little bit, and link to another website, so they can find more information by clicking the link.

• Always invite people to comment on what you write on your blog. You want comments. You need interaction. Ask for it.

• Visit other people's blogs similar to yours, and invite them to visit you. Don't place links in the comment, put the link in the space provided. Be sure your link is correct (copy and paste it if you have to).

• Don't accept ALL comments on your blog. If they don't pertain to what you wrote, or they're selling something you don't support, delete them.

• As you add more blog posts, concentrate on finding the common topic of your blog. What is it you write about most. That's your passion. Keep writing.

• Any blog posts you started but don't finish... Either finish them, or delete them once a month. Otherwise, they're just taking up space in the background.

• Keep visiting other people's blogs and sending them back to your blog.

• Keep sharing your blog with others on social media, with friends. Share it everywhere.

• Promote other blogs you find interesting. Invite other bloggers to share your content on their blog. Guest posting and interactive sharing brings more readers.

• Find products and books you can review that are relevant to your topic. Write about them, review them, and link to them.

• Remind your readers, "Visit my links and read my blog posts." Whenever you're writing on forums, or other spaces.

• Are you ready to start blogging?

        Are you blogging yet? If not... Why? It's fun, it's easy, and you can earn a nice income doing it,          if you know how. Blogging for cash is a thing...