Are you ready to start blogging? Share with the world!
What’s a Blog?
In simple terms, a blog is a web site, where you write stuff on an ongoing basis. New stuff shows up at the top, so your visitors can read what’s new. Then they comment on it or link to it or email you. Or not.
Since 1999, blogs have reshaped the web, impacted politics, shaken up journalism, and enabled millions of people to have a voice and connect with others.
Why should I get one?
#1 – You Do Not Need To Know HTML
One of the biggest hurdles many hopeful website creators face is they don\’t know to design a webpage. Blogs overcome this – all you do is type into a box, and the blog software automatically converts it into a webpage and publishes it on the World Wide Web for anyone to see.
#2 - You Are ‘Forced’ To Keep Your Content Fresh
Blogs are essentially online diaries. It doesn’t make sense to write in your diary every month or two. Similarly, running a blog itself ‘forces’ you to update it often. And refreshing your blog often makes it more useful to readers and consumers – and by extension, to search engines who are in the business of presenting *their* clients with valuable resources. (Keep in mind a blog can be used as a business website without frequent updates.)
#3 – Your Blog Is AUTOMATICALLY Optimized For Search Engines
Search engines love fresh content. But that’s not the only way blogs are powerful tools to rank high. Indeed, most blogs are structured to offer a high degree of search engine optimization.
All sections of your blog are linked together. The terms used as link ‘anchors’ are keyword-optimized. Categories can be created to host themed content. Navigating through your blog is intuitive. Archives can be customized, and generate hundreds of pages of content that act as ’search engine spider bait.’
#4 – You Generate Multiple Content-Rich Pages
Every post you make on your blog is content. And by intelligently setting up your archiving preferences, you can turn each post into many different forms of content, each on a page of its own. Blog regularly for a few months, and you could end up having a 100+ page website – all filled with relevant, keyword-optimized, themed content!
#5 - You Can Keyword-Optimize Your Blog Extensively
All parts of your blog’s template can be customized. And a very powerful way to do it is by inserting relevant keywords. It’s a do-it-once job that will give you ongoing benefits for as the life of your blog. You can include keywords in your blog title, description, blog post headings, trackback links, comment invitations, archive titles, and category names.
#6 - You Create An Online Community
If your blog is on a specific theme, you can build a loyal readership and develop an online community. You can even take it a notch higher by tying it in with a forum or membership site. Ask for comments, suggestions, ideas and feedback, or invite reader participation. Pretty soon, your blog will be growing organically – even if you don’t write a lot!
#7 - You Initiate Conversations With Readers
Of course; the first step is yours – to initiate a dialog with readers. You could do it with your blog post, asking a question or by inviting comments and interaction. Your blog will be read by an audience that’s already interested in your subject or theme. This conversation will be priceless to you, the blog owner.
#8 – You Can Syndicate Your Content Easily
Getting readers for your content is good. Getting your content out where many more readers can see it is GREAT! Syndication (via RSS feeds) is built in to most blogging platforms, giving you a quick and easy way to get a wide readership for your blog posts.
#9 - You’re Creating Stuff Search Engines LOVE
Search engines exist to offer their audience a compilation of the best resources on a subject or keyword. Your blog is the answer to a search engine’s prayers! By sticking to a theme and presenting the content in an organized, structured, intuitively connected pattern, your blog will be appealing to search engines in a way only a very professionally planned and designed website can ever hope to be.
#10 - You Get ‘Alternate’ Traffic Sources
Bloggers like to share opinions with others. And when they ‘talk’ about you, they are going to point to your site, or a post on your blog, to show their readers what they mean. They become ‘alternate’ traffic sources – for YOU!
Why pay if I can get one for free?
Yup! You can actually start a blog at blogger.com or wordpress.com for FREE. And it can be a good start for many, but its not a great long term solution, here’s why:
1. You don’t own it.
2. Since you don’t own it, you will have access to limited resources.
3. It’s not 100% under your name, example: yourblogname.blogger.com
4. When you decide to move to your own blog, you lose your search engine page rank and all direct traffic.
Let’s face it, setting up a blog is more than affordable, wouldn’t you rather build it on good solid foundation from that start that will allow your blog to grow, and gain readership without suffering growing pains?
Get Started!
A Basic Package is just $99. This includes your domain name registration and complete WordPress setup. Hosting plan is not included, depending on your needs it varies from $50+ per year. This package is typically recommended to users that have had some exposure to blogs, or have used a free one before.
The Starter Package is just $199 and includes everything the basic package offers but offers more support to first time users. Included is one hour walk-thru of the functionality of your blog, and how to write new articles and add new pages. This can be scheduled for an in-person meeting or a virtual remote support where we both work on your computer and talk via phone. This walk-thru will also touch up on introduction to changing the theme of your blog.
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