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If you’re anything like me, when I first set up my blog about a year ago, I had NO CLUE where to start. Should I use Blogger, Blog spot, WordPress, or any of the 100′s of other blog platforms that are out there?
I assumed a blog was just a blog. Boy, did I learn otherwise!
After a lot of research, recommendations, and help from others (that’s the “Network” part of network marketing) I realized that I better go with installing WordPress for my blog.
For those of you that aren’t familiar with WordPress, it’s a blog platform that gives you a pre-built blog site for free. But if you REALLY want to boost up your blog marketing – you really need to get a self-hosted WordPress blog and your own personal domain. And I’m going to go into more details why here in the list.
As any smart marketer realizes – leave the hard stuff to the professionals. So that is why I outsourced my blog set-up (which included the graphics, RSS feeds, theme, and connection to all of my social networking sites) to THE professional blog set-up guru I know – Ms. Shannon Shubert at IM Group Marketing.
I also self-hosted my site – and again, to another professional who knows a ton more information about self-hosting and is THE ONLY person I would trust with hosting my blog – Holly Powell at Nonstop Social Media.
If you stop by their sites, tell them I sent you!
Here are my Top 5 Reasons to Use WordPress for your blog:
1. Google Loves WordPress – If you’re using a blog for your marketing strategies, you’re probably interested in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – at least a little bit. If you’re into SEO, then you want and need Google giving your site “some love.” Now, I could go on and on and on and on and ON about SEO, but the idea is that you want Google ranking your site higher than your competition for any given keyword. Well, for whatever reason, Google loves WordPress. Period. Game, set, match! You need a WordPress blog if you are in SEO strategies.
Yes, you can use other blog sites and still get good ranking, but you typically have to work harder to get the same amount of “love” from Google as your competition. If you already have a different blog and are so far into it that it would hurt you more than help you, just stick with it and MAKE IT WORK. But AT LEAST have it self-hosted – which leads me into my next point.
2. Self hosted – I have this in my top 5 reasons, well, for a good reason. (Oh man I’m witty!) You can use the free version of wordpress and have no problems and make that work for you just fine. But you could run into a few problems, the biggest of which is that your blog could be here one day, and gone the next. If you have a self hosted WordPress blog, no one can touch it. It’s yours. Yes, you’re paying a small monthly hosting fee (usually around $5.00 or less) but it’s WELL worth its value considering the thought that you might lose your blog otherwise.
On top of having your blog self hosted – I would also recommend getting a domain name that is specific to you. Mine is obviously www.LinusRuzicka.com. It looks a lot more professional that the generic site URL that WordPress gives your site. Having your domain forwarded is essential for branding YOU in this industry.
3. WordPress Design Themes – Now , do you want the generic WordPress Theme that comes with WordPress, or a custom designed one that is specific only to you? The default WordPress theme is perfect if you’re just setting up a blog to have a blog. BUT, since you’re in this industry to make money and brand you, I suggest a designed custom theme. There are tons of people who design custom WordPress Themes that you can easily upload to your domain, to change the appearance and feel of your WordPress website. Some of the WP Themes are paid versions, but most of them are free.
There are more than 1000 themes loaded directly into the WordPress theme website, from which you can choose, although you are not limited to just the themes loaded into the WordPress website. Since I outsourced the design and feel of my blog, my designer and I talked bakc and forth for a week or so to grind out the details of what I wanted. The theme I chose is very SEO friendly (“Monezine” theme), but there are many other to choose from such as “Flexibility” or “Thesis”
4. Plug-ins – This is my favorite. Plugins are what soups-up your blog and converts it from a 1992 Ford Taurus, into a 2010 Chevy Camaro. The right plug-in can save you time, make you money, and make your job a WHOLE lot easier. In fact, I think I’ll make my next post on specific plug-ins just so you can see some of the money making ones you NEED to have on your blog (So make sure to Sign-up to get my blog updates via e-mail so you can get the next one).
Just like with the WordPress Themes, if there is a specific function you want your blog to perform, there are programmers out there who have created WordPress Plugins that will make your job A LOT easier. There are 1000′s of WordPress Plugins on the WordPress.org website (wordpress.org/extend/plugins/ ), which are free and an ever growing amount that are not in the WordPress database. You just have to go looking for them.
When you find a Plugin you want, just click “Install” on that specific plugin page, and it will automatically download, unzip, and upload it to the right Plugin directory on your blog. After it finished its upload, simply go to the backoffice area of your blog to “activate” the plugin.
5. WordPress functionality – Now, I don’t want to lose you here on this one, so I’ll keep it simple. WordPress is an HTML based blog platform. The reason I love that is that it allows you to do SOOOOOOO much more to your blog. Whan you’re creating a post – you have the ability to add videos, pics, graphics, links, and audio all in HTML format. The cool thing is, when you create posts, you can create them in a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) design – meaning that what you see on the screen is what your readers will see. Or you can do HTML formating – all with a click of the mouse and flip-flop back and forth.
To Double check and see what your content will look like, you can “Preview” it and see it in real time on your designed blog to double check and make sure it looks the way you want it to.
Wow, that was a lot of content – so I will cut it off for now. Stay tuned for my next post talking about specific WordPress plug ins.
If you have any questions about the above points of general comments, be sure to leave a me a comment here on my blog. It is all about community afterall. And be sure to either Digg or Tweet my post by clicking either of the buttons at the top of this post.
God Bless You,
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This is a great post. There are a lot of people that are not sure what to use for their blog and this helps them a lot.
Thanks for keeping us informed about the multitude of internet marketing strategies.
Peace…
Kathy
Kathy Sammons Dot Com
[Reply]
Linus Ruzicka Reply:
February 24th, 2010 at 9:43 PM
Kathy,
Thanks for stopping by. If you thought this was good – wait until you see the next post on some KEY plug ins and widgets to use to upgrade your blog.
God Bless,
Linus
[Reply]
Awesome info Linus. Setting up your first blog can be a challenging task but you answer a lot of questions here.
John
[Reply]
Linus Ruzicka Reply:
February 25th, 2010 at 5:23 PM
John,
Blogging can be a VERY fun marketing strategy – but challenging just as you say – especially the first time around.
But I’m doing what I can to help turn the tide on that difficulty.
God Bless,
Linus
[Reply]
Linus,
I remember my first blog, I think we both started about the same time. 2 years later, you are rocking my friend…WordPress is in…..
[Reply]
Linus Ruzicka Reply:
February 26th, 2010 at 6:55 PM
Carlos,
Dang, you have a great memory!
Yeah, my blog is my main marketing strategy and I plan on releasing my blueprint here within the next few months. It jsut needs a little more time to simmer
God Bless,
Linus
[Reply]
Oh were would I be without WordPress
[Reply]
Linus Ruzicka Reply:
February 26th, 2010 at 7:01 PM
Nathan,
We’d all be lost…LOL
[Reply]
Hey Linus,
Gotta hand it to you. Since I am into SEO, and I could not have Pointed out those 5 Top Reasons any better my friend. WordPress Blogs are Dominating the Blog World and as you mentioned, The Search Engines Love WordPress Blogs. And there is no Competition to how SEO friendly WordPress is. With all the Custom Themes, Widgets, and Plugins, WordPress Blogs have the look and feel of a real Website rather than just a Blog. You Give a lot of Value with this Article. Keep up the Great Work…..
[Reply]
Linus Ruzicka Reply:
March 1st, 2010 at 8:58 AM
Thomas,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
What you say is dead on. WordPress and all of it’s little plug-in and widgets are dominating right now. It’s almost like the iPhone – but without any competition.
SO many apps to help the performance of you blog.
God Bless,
Linus
[Reply]
Linus,
Very good info on WordPress. Thank you for providing us with such informative posts regarding this wonderful industry.
Tamra
Article Marketing
[Reply]
Hey Linus,
Thanks for listing what we need to focus on to get our blogs up and working right. I have worked with Shannon & Holly before & I agree that they go above and beyond the norm with their work. I also highly recommend them.
You gave a great list of the “must haves” for a blog, especially the self hosting tip. Having been blessed to have 3 different blogs shut down before I understood what I was doing wrong, this is great advice.
Keep posting info like this & I will have to keep coming back.
To Your Continued Success,
Bill
[Reply]
Linus Ruzicka Reply:
March 1st, 2010 at 9:01 AM
Bill,
Exactly – Holly and Shannon are awesome. Without their help, my blog would be back in the stone age on some free blogging platform somewhere. LOL
When I hear a story like you mentioned about having 3 different blogs shut down, i can only imagine that punch in the gut feeling. It’s a credit to you to pick yourself back up and get it cranking again. Kudos to you.
Talk again soon Palte,
Linus
[Reply]
Linus,
I wish I would have found a blog post like yours explaining the benefits of a WordPress blog about 3 years ago.
Your readers will save SOOOOOOOOO much time with your info on blogging.
~Bert
[Reply]
Linus Ruzicka Reply:
March 1st, 2010 at 9:02 AM
Bert,
Especially those that were just running a free blog site and not having it self hosted. I have heard a lot of those stories this last week since i posted this message.
God Bless,
Linus
[Reply]
You know I am not sure what to say. If after reading this you don’t thing WordPress is the right way to go then you must not have a pulse.
[Reply]
Linus Ruzicka Reply:
March 2nd, 2010 at 9:27 PM
LOL @ Bob.
I’m glad others see it the same way. I guess it’s time to get some epinephrine and the defibrillator pads and shock these guys back to life.
Linus
[Reply]
Linus,
These are 5 very valid reasons to go with WordPress and I highly agree with all of them.
I remember when I said to myself, “One day I’ll have my own blog.”
I always thought it would be so difficult and it really wasn’t.
Great content as usual!
- Yo
[Reply]
Linus Ruzicka Reply:
March 3rd, 2010 at 8:42 PM
Yo,
And a great blog you have. I’m keeping an eye on other blogs with quality content – and yours is on that list.
For all of you guys reading this, make sure to check him out at MeetYoLe.com
God Bless,
Linus
[Reply]
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Great article, Linus! I really love WordPress too.
It is such a great blogging platform and, yes, Google does indeed love it, as well. I’ve had WordPress articles rank in the top 10 for competitive keyword phrases nearly overnight.
It also has some killer plugins that are easy to install and configure. It is simply a killer app. I recommend it to all of my clients. Regular blogging with WordPress will really improve search engine rankings when combined with just a couple of other SEO techniques.
Cheers!
David Lee Cummings
Columbus SEO
[Reply]
Linus Ruzicka Reply:
April 21st, 2010 at 9:10 PM
David,
Glad you too the time to stop by and comment.
Taking comments and tips from other SEO bloggers and marketers is a joy.
What other widgets or plugins do you implement to help with your SEO?
Linus
[Reply]
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This is a great article. Clears many questions I had about wordpress. Now thinking of switching over to wp from blogger. Great work Linus.
Yasser Khan
[Reply]
Linus Ruzicka Reply:
April 27th, 2010 at 10:12 PM
Yasser,
Thanks for stopping by to comment and visit my blog.
Yes, I think using WordPress to run a blog off of is a GREAT idea.
You could still use your “Blogger” site to syndicate your posts and help bring more backlinks to your WordPress blog.
Just an idea
Linus
[Reply]
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Yup I just found a way to import blogger into wordpress. n wordpress is way more intuitive!
[Reply]
Linus Ruzicka Reply:
May 10th, 2010 at 5:56 AM
Yasser,
Awesome brother…and thanks for coming to comment.
And you are exactly right – WordPress is much more intuitive.
And it seems that as time goes by, more and more things I’ve finding out about WOrdpress.
I wonder if it will ever end?
God Bless,
Linus
[Reply]
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