content is usually organized by date
and category with the most recent
post/ content displaying first .
If you look at this site , the content is
organized by content and not by date
or category . This is a static website.
So it 's important to think about how
you want your content to be
organized by default . Having your
visitors view/ sort your content by date
and category may not be the optimal
solution for every kind of site because
the content will get buried as your site
gets older .
Have you ever visited a blog and had
trouble finding what you're looking
for because of the content
organization?
This is because the owner didn' t do a
good job of making use of static
content to help you navigate through
it. As I said, by default, blogs are
sorted by category and date (newest
content displayed first. )
You can change this , but it requires
you to learn how to manipulate your
blog ( use plug- ins, static pages, etc. )
and perhaps do some extra coding .
SiteSell Says Blogs Aren 't Always
Best
Ken Evoy of SiteSell .com made some
pretty bold statements about people
who choose blogs to build a
business. While many people make
money with blogs , I do agree that they
aren't always the best choice for
business sites - - especially affiliate
marketing ( the way I earn a living. )
All my static websites have always
outperformed my blog from a
money making and traffic
standpoint.
You can read his comments here.
Setting up a Blog
To create a self -hosted blog (more on
why self- hosted is better later), you
need a domain name (yoursite. com)
and a web host.
Even though a site like Blogger is free
and makes setup a snap , you don't
actually own the content or the site
because it 's hosted on Blogger' s
domain.
So if Blogger ever decides to shut
down, guess what will happen to your
blog?
Yup... bye , bye to all your hard work !
(Trust me . I 've seen this happen more
than once .)
Not a good strategy if you are trying to
make money with your blog .
If you use a company like
WebsitePalace.com to buy your
domain and host your site then you
can setup a self- hosted WordPress
blog for free in seconds.
You simply login to your hosting
account and choose the option to
"Install WordPress" and instantly the
blog will be up and running on
yourdomain. com. You can begin
blogging right away and you own your
content and domain .
I like WordPress much better because
they have a bunch of free plug-ins you
can use to make your blog much
more interactive, functional and fun .
Let's say you want to add a shopping
cart to your blog so people can buy
products. With WordPress , all you
have to do is download a plug-in
(most are free) and the functionality
will be added to your blog in seconds !
There are literally thousands of free
plug-ins available .
Blog or Website ? Can't Decide ?
A lot of people get confused and
wonder if they should create a blog or
a static website. The video below
explains the major differences .
WordPress? Blogger? Which is Best ?
WordPress and Blogger are hands
down the two most popular blogging
platforms. I honestly see no reason to
consider any of the others .
I started with Blogger, but when I
started learning about the flexibility
WordPress provided , I switched over
in December 2007 and I' m so glad I
did.
Blogger is great because it 's super
easy to use . However , WordPress has
a lot more features and plug-ins that
will allow you to enhance your blog .
And even though setting up a
WordPress blog is slightly more
involved, it' s well worth it in the long
run .
Remotely Hosted Blog or Self
Hosted Blog?
Remotely Hosted
There are two ways to host a blog .
The first way is to remotely host it --
which means your content/files
literally sit on the server of the
blogging platform (WordPress .com,
Blogger.com, etc .)
As I mentioned above, there 's always
a risk involved with doing it this way
because if Blogger or WordPress
decide to shut your blog down ( for
whatever reason ), you would lose all
your content.
It also doesn 't look as professional to
have a blog address like http:/ /
yourblog. blogspot .com or http: //
yourblog. wordpress .com. And if you
want to make money , first
impressions mean a lot.
For the record, I don't endorse
remotely hosted blogs. I think
hosting is so cheap these days that it' s
worth spending a few extra dollars to
own your content and have a real
blog address like http:/ /yourblog . com
-- especially if you want to make
money.
Self Hosted
With a self hosted blog, all your
content sits on the hosting account
that you own . Your blog address is
more professional and easy to
remember because you can have a
true domain like http:/ /yourblog .com .
My blog is a self hosted WordPress
blog. What that means is my blog 's
content is published to my own
domain, 2 CreateAWebSite .com and I
even got to create a subdirectory
called "blog " so my blog address is
http:/ /blog .2 createawebsite .com .
Watch the video below to learn how
to setup a blog on your own domain.
I also have a free WordPress
tutorial on how to setup your blog
here.
Why a Blog and a Website?
Even though I already have a
successful website, I decided to
create a blog too .
Here on my site , you'll find more
static/ unchanging tutorials, and my
blog is more like a journal where I talk
about current topics in the world of
website creation, blogging and making
money.
As I mentioned in the video above,
whether you use a blog, a website or
both is up to you. There is no rule of
thumb. You really have to feel your
way around and see what 's best for
your needs . But if you' re just starting,
I'd definitely only focus on one or the
other .
Serious About Making Money From
a Blog?
If your goal is to make money from a
blog, you might want to consider Yaro
Starak' s Blog Coaching Service. This
guy is no amateur and makes 6
figures per year from blogging alone.
In his free report , Blog Profits
Blueprint, he lays the groundwork for
creating a successful blog and helps
you keep your expectations in check
when it comes to making money . Very
solid advice here .
Also, Yaro wrote a very good piece
that explains why so many blogs fail .
I've published a copy of the report
here so make sure you read it .
No comments:
Post a Comment