Is Your Small Business Blogging Yet?

admin    Adobe After Effects     Blogging, Business, Small

Is Your Small Business Blogging Yet?

Do you know over 60% of Internet users regularly get their information from blogs that they subscribe to?

Does your business have a blog? Are you sharing information with your readers about what it is that you do and how you can help them build and grow their business? Do you have a wonderful tool, product, service, or widget that can be a money or time saver for other small businesses?

Blogging has become one of the most popular ways to get the message of your business and service out to the world. It is no longer just a way for people to share  thoughts, pictures, recipes, wedding  and vacation plans online with friends and family.

Business blogging is a very powerful marketing tool and every major industry uses blogs to ensure that their customers and clients are kept abreast of new developments and just about any other kind of news that needs to be available on the internet 24 hours a day. If you are not leveraging the Internet to market to a global audience and give your small business a decisive competitive edge, you are very likely leaving a lot of money on the table.

Combine blogging with social media marketing and you can literally explode your online presence in a very short time. By committing to posting to your blog at least 3 times a week you will create a wealth of content that can be used to advertise your services and build trust and rapport with your prospects. And search engines love blogs that are updated regularly!

By leveraging the Internet, your small business can get more done and complete effectively in a global marketplace, but this can be time consuming, and often confusing for a small business. That’s where outsourcing can help. Blogging is one of the services a highly technically savvy Virtual Assistance firm can handle with ease.

There are a number of great blogging platforms available today with the most popular being WordPress and the list below will help you get started with your blog.

A common checklist of blogging tehnologies that you may need to get started: 

Domain Name. I use and recommend GoDaddy for domain name purchases, but NOT for hosting. Be sure to purchase most extensions of your domain name such as dot com, dot net, dot biz, etc., to ensure that your name and brand is protected. Each domain name will cost about annually.
Hosting for your website. I use and recommend HostGator for hosting. Depending on the plan you need, your cost range from .95 to .95 per month. If you need a toll free number this is also available on their largest hosting package. You will be able to install WordPress from your cpanel using the Fantastico application. This is easy and quick.
Premium WordPress Templates. I have several companies that I use a lot, but these are two of my favorites: Elegant Themes
WordPress Dream Theme

If your website/blog will be functioning as a membership site, now or in the future, I consider WishList Member an essential plugin.
Shopping Cart. 1ShoppingCart incorporates all of the tools your business needs to market and sell online in a single, easy-to-use web-based solution. If you need an affiliate program, you can build that in your shopping cart. The basic plan (I don’t recommend anything below this plan) will cost per month and the professional plan, which includes affiliate marketing, is .00 per month. You can also make application here for a payment gateway through Authorize.net or PowerPay so that you can accept credit card payments on your website.
PayPal account for accepting payments if you don’t currently have a payment gateway. This is free and you will only pay a fee when a payment is made. You will be able to use your PayPal account in place of a payment gateway if you prefer.
Newsletter or email marketing software. Two excellent tools for this are Aweber and Constant Contact.
Social Media Profiles. KnowEm Username Check allows you to check for the use of your brand, product, personal name or username instantly on over 400 popular and emerging social media websites. Grab your name and secure your brand before someone else does. They offer free and premium plans. LinkedIn Profile (FREE)
Facebook Fan Page for Your Business. (FREE)
Twitter Account. (FREE) For branding purposes we use and recommend TweetPages for a very professional Twitter background. They can also create   and Facebook designs. Tell Matt I sent you!
Gmail account – you will need this for various services such as Feedburner, Google Analytics, Google Maps, etc.

Essential WordPress Plugins. The WordPress community has developed thousands of plugins and themes. If you haven’t tried out WordPress plugins yet, you owe it to yourself and your blog to give them a try. They’re amazingly easy to set up and can boost the functionality of WordPress to an astonishing degree. You will install these directly from your WordPress control panel: Yoast Breadcrumbs (FREE)
All in One SEO Pack (FREE)
pageMash (FREE)
Google XML Sitemaps (FREE)
WP DB Backup (FREE)
WordPress Database Backup (FREE)
Advertising Manager (FREE)
TinyMCE (FREE)
Bad Behavior (FREE)

Are you ready to start building?

If you are interested in tackling this project on your own and want to learn how to build a seriously professional WordPress website/blog my best recommendation is that you sign up for the next Go For Your Dream WordPress Website Workshop. This 4 week online e-course takes you step-by-step through the process of building your website using the Premium Dream Theme. There’s also an additional 2 weeks of basic training bonus modules on 1shoppingcart, Authorize.net, PayPal, and installing a Membership site. I highly recommend this training.

Too much information! I can’t even begin to tackle a project like this.

Another alternative is to have us build it for you. We are a Web Development company paired with a Virtual Assistance firm. What does this mean? It means that we do it all, from concept to launch. Our websites are turnkey, meaning that your social media marketing is built in, your branding is complete and all you have to do is blog! And we train you on the backend of your website/blog so you are in control of your content.

For a free 20 minute consultation please call us at 888-719-6711 or use our contact page. We are here to help!

3 Effective Tips on Blogging For Money While Staying Healthy

admin    Adobe After Effects     Blogging, Effective, Healthy, Money, Staying, Tips

3 Effective Tips on Blogging For Money While Staying Healthy

You might be wondering, how in the world did “staying healthy” get connected with blogging for money? Well, let me give you an example based on my personal experience. My blog is all about people who have won lotteries. When I first began blogging, I developed some not-so-nice habits. Most of the time, I get caught in the moment while researching for new stories. I would often lose track of time and find out that long hours have already passed while I was too busy researching for stories and writing my posts. These long hours have been spent sitting in front of a computer, typing, without any break to stretch a few muscles or grab a bite. In other words, I was neglecting my health.

Does this happen to you as well? Most individuals do exactly the same, if not worse. But I decided I needed to change. I looked for ways to keep working on my computer while keeping my health up. The following are five tips that will help you acquire the nutrition your body needs while blogging for money:

1.)    Never skip breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as it provides you the energy you would need to do your activities for the entire day. A lot of bloggers go straight to their computers upon waking up even if they have not eaten breakfast yet. Doing so can make your brain tired and it will be less easy to write. Less productivity will then result. A healthy breakfast, on the other hand, helps keep your mind focused.

2.)    Stretch your muscles. Your blood circulation will drop if you stay seated in front of your computer for long hours. Are you aware that this can kill you? In fact, it promotes obesity and heart disease. So if you intend to write for your blog for more than one hour, make sure to spend five minutes after every hour to do some stretching. This would relax your muscles and keep your blood circulation good.

3.)    Have a healthy meal within reach. If you blog continuously for hours without eating something healthy, your mind and body will suffer. Thus, have a bowl full of healthy stuff on your desk or table, so that you can still keep yourself nourished when you are too lazy to take a break and eat.

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Blogging Tips – 3 Simple But Deadly Effective Tips to Create ‘Cruise Control’ Profits

admin    Adobe After Effects     'Cruise, Blogging, control, Create, Deadly, Effective, Profits, Simple, Tips

Blogging Tips – 3 Simple But Deadly Effective Tips to Create ‘Cruise Control’ Profits

Do you want your personal or business blog to be successful? If so, you will want to take note of the blogging tips herein. These tips have been used by thousands of bloggers to the betterment of their blogs.

1. Don’t Overdo it

The first thing you want to consider is the actual look and design of your blog. ‘First impressions’ are very important when it comes to the look of a blog. If someone stumbles upon your blog and it so snazzily colored that they have a hard time viewing your blog, they are likely to beat a hasty exit and bookmark it as a site never to return to.

2. Keep those Pop-Ups Down

Additionally, if you plan on using third-party advertising on your website, you will want to make sure that the advertising is not obtrusive and that it does not promote viruses or pop-ups. The majority of blog browsers frown upon pop-ups. In fact, 9 out of every 10 people will never return to a site again if they discover it features pop-up advertisements.

3. Write on something you are Passionate about

One of the most important blogging tips is to make sure that you write with passion! Whatever you are choosing to blog about, make sure that it is something that people will want to read. Make sure that it is well written and free of both grammar and spelling mistakes. Additionally, make sure that you make posts on a regular basis. If you only blog once a month you can’t expect to gain a following.

These simple tips are effective and are very easy to implement! Take your time when it comes to the look and feel of your blog. The more effort you put into it the better your chances are of gaining and keeping readers.

Firepow – The Best Blogging software? – You Decide!

admin    Adobe After Effects     Best, Blogging, Decide, Firepow, Software

Firepow – The Best Blogging software? – You Decide!

Firepow Blogging Software is a complete web-based tool that handles niche blog creation and management. Firepow builds blogs, generates traffic and much more. . It is the largest selection of blogging tools in one and is highly recommended for regular bloggers.

FirePow blogging software incorporates over 60 plugins into your blog. This software is based on the wordpress platform and allows the user to fully customised and functioning wordpress blogs in a few clicks. It is especially awesome for seo purposes as well as blog integration, wordpress installation, management and so much more.

Firepow creates a site management tab where all your blogs can be managed from one place, an SEO tracking tool to monitor the search rankings of all your sites, and a task manager that tells you what needs to be done to maintain your blog/s and when.

This exceptional system is specifically designed to help you complete these tasks as quickly and efficiently as possible. Firepow also will Get Article Content for keywords you enter by searching the top online article directories for relevant content in your niche so you can automatically add them to your niche site.

Of course many people are contemplating, as they do with many products, whether or not this will be the boost they need to unlock the door to online business success.

Let me play devils advocate for a minute, and start with the negative.

First off, let it be clearly known that no product, software, ebook or membership, is going to make you money – YOU have to do the work YOURSELF – sales letters love to give the impression that a product will do something FOR you but unless you’re willing to MAKE IT happen yourself – nothing will help you.

I expect Firepow to fit this category. Particularly because it’s a software that automates certain tasks, I expect it to convey the feeling of doing things for you. So don’t fall for it – whatever it says, remember that YOU will have work to do, and if you’re not ready to do that, then this product won’t help you.

Phew, now that that’s out of my system, we can continue on.

What does seem good about Firepow so far is that it combines the functions of various pieces of software into one ‘machine’ so to speak – which if only for the sake of nothing else but convenience, makes it a good thing. Less programs on my computer, less to think about, and hopefully less to do.

The things it combines are the tasks of (as the sales letter indicates) creating, marketing and managing your niche blog sites.

It does these things with the use of wordpress plugins, and features inside a central software, from where you can view or edit any of your blog sites – another big convenience factor.

The plugins are both a list compiled from existing plugins on the internet and those created specially by Andrew Hanson himself (the creator).

It’s these fresh plugins that seem to be the big selling point as promises have been made of effects like stealing viral traffic, multiplying your content automatically, and giving the site owner the capacity to get in touch with other site owners for extra leverage.

Supposedly it does everything from create your site (content too) to get you traffic and beyond – a hard task for any program.

Most of us know that niche blogging works, but just haven’t connected the dots fully yet. If that’s you – Firepow might be worth a look.

I’m going to post the link for you because I think tools like this don’t come along real often. This isn’t your every day clickbank software, this is something you need to take notice of, period.

Try It Today For

Blogging to the Bank 2.0 – a Full Review

admin    Adobe After Effects     Bank, Blogging, Full, Review

Blogging to the Bank 2.0 – a Full Review

When I first come across Rob Benwell’s Blogging to the Bank 2.0, I was pretty amazed that he is so young yet doing so well with his blogs. In fact, this young man has earned 000 every month from his blogs. That’s really a neat sum of money. I began to wonder if this guy really knows his stuffs or not. Hence, I went to do some research before deciding to buy this product or not.

I went through a couple of reviews on Blogging to the Bank 2.0. You can read some of the reviews which I found useful below. Since I didn’t buy Rob’s first edition of Blogging to the Bank, I don’t really have the confidence to buy this newer edition, at first. However, after looking through the reviews by various bloggers and buyers, I started to know that Rob’s first edition of Blogging to the Bank was a really bargain. He has disclosed various techniques which are useful and effective. In fact, there are quite number of people have mentioned that they are pleasant with the results ( i.e. they have made money). However, these techniques are soon became obsolete in this fast changing blogging arena.

After looking through a couple of reviews, I decided to buy the product, since it is not too expensive after all. If he can reveal a blueprint to allow us to earn tens of thousands a month, then what is that miserable sum of money which I pay him for it? After all, the ebook just costs me a couple of meals. It is the returns that matter. I have read through the ebook and find that there are a couple of parts which I particular like very much.

Firstly, I like the list of plug-ins which he has provided. This makes it so much easy for beginners in blogging. I used to go through the hassle of trying out which plug-ins are useful from those which are not. If I have the information when I first setup my blog, then I wouldn’t have to go through so much unnecessary trouble.

Next, he also mentioned how to research for the high-paying affiliate products. In this way, you will able to find a potentially profitable niche to earn you a nice sum of money from Adsense. This method which he mentioned is great, as you can find earn both from Adsense as well as the affiliate products. This is all possible when you are able to find those untapped niches.

Lastly, and this is the best part which I find, is that he teaches us how to make our blog most attractive to produce sticky traffic. He also talks about search engine optimization and even the best layout to place your affiliate banners and Adsense ads. Of course, he mentioned about new Web 2.0 methods like using Squidoo and Digg to attract more traffic and many more great stuffs.

Though the ebook provides really simple and effective stuffs, there are a couple of typing errors here and there. But if you are not so much of a perfectionist, then I must say that this author used simple to understand English and his instructions are easy to follow. Best of all, the methods work! Hence, if you are not have results as good as Rob Benwell’s, then I strongly believe that you will need to check out Blogging to the Bank 2.0 to know what he is doing.

SEO content writing – A Comparison on Article Writing and Blogging

admin    SEO Video     Article, Blogging, Comparison, Content, Writing

SEO content writing – A Comparison on Article Writing and Blogging

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SEO content writing is one of the recent trends overwhelming the world. Several website content writers are emerging every day and there is no dearth of a professional content writing company offering efficient services.

Article writing and blogging happen to be the two most important branches; all the web content writers want to have expertise in. There is a vast difference between article writing and blogging. Blogging these days perhaps, is the most popular form of writing. People have found a new hobby in it. It is entertaining as well as very helpful in improving your writing style. Many of us are aware of the differences between the two categories. However, the people who don’t know this should read this article carefully. You will surly get some ideas on both the styles.

Difference between the articles and blogs –

There are some similarity between article writing and blogging. However, a number of dissimilarities are there as well. Let’s have a look on the differences.

Article writing is a serious job. Most of the time we write it on order and get paid for it. Different articles demand different styles of writing. Suppose you are writing a business article, in that case you have to research and study and then write. However, an article on a social circumstance or current political situation demands something more. Here you can put your thoughts and views in the write up.

Thus, you see both the styles are different from one another. However, when you are blogging you are never bound by any rule or manner and can write whatever you think. Thus you enjoy the freedom of writing here. Moreover, no as such research or study is necessary to write a blog. You can write exactly what you feel.

Through blogs you can interact with the people. It is always nice to get positive comments. It will influence you to write more blogs and improve your style of writing.

Furthermore, you can understand the readers’ opinions about the subject or can even render your thoughts and the process is quite faster. In article writing you can’t have such options. When you write for the newspapers or journals, then also you get feedback from the readers, but this is quite a lengthy process and it might not happen all the time.

A blog is generally a short form of article. A blog can be written with minimum 50-100 words, while, an article published in a newspaper or journal contains at least 400 to 500 words. Thus article writing needs more skill and perseverance.

For articles, you have to entirely depend on your publishers or house for the publication. However, a blog writer can upload his or her blogs directly on a website. To publish the blog he has just to create an account on that particular website.

With blogs, one can upload images or videos. For articles a writer can publish images only if it is asked for.

Some essential tips for both article writers and bloggers –

Be serious with your writing. It really matters a little whether you are writing a blog or an article. What really matters, an error free attractive writing. So check your writing after finishing it.

Choose the topic after getting a clear idea on it. It is one of the main conditions for article writing. However, you must remember it even when blogging. Write about which you know well. You don’t have the right to mislead your readers.

While writing, be careful about not to hurt anyone’s sentiment, especially a religious thought.

Just remember these simple rules and try to master the essentials; soon you will also be the able provider of efficient article writing services.

6 Simple Blogging Tips To Creating Effective Content

admin    Adobe After Effects     Blogging, Content, creating, Effective, Simple, Tips

6 Simple Blogging Tips To Creating Effective Content

Blogging is one of the most straight forward ways of generating web traffic, but so many either find it difficult or don’t do it effectively. Creating an interesting and effective blog isn’t rocket science, anyone can do it, and these 6 straight forward blogging tips will help to ensure that you get as much traffic out of it as possible.

1. Most people struggle to find good quality content for their blog, but this is what will attract people to your page first and foremost. Getting inspiration on what to right about can be relatively straight forward however. It can be as simple as using a snippet of the mountain of info already out there relating to your topic, building on it and also putting it into your own words.

2. Make your posts short, sharp and to the point, typically 250-600 words. People have very little time in the modern day world and most will automatically scan down your post to see how long it is. So, if it’s to long they won’t even get past the title before they hit the back button on their browser.

3. Another strategy to keep posts to the point and to also create some suspense amongst visitors is to split them up into a 2-3 part series.

4. Install a categories plugin and link similar posts together that you think the reader may be interested in, i.e. you may also like this post: (post title). This is a great way to keep them on your site for longer and will help them to get to know and like your writing style and personality.

5. Search engines love regularly updated sites so be sure to update your site with fresh related content daily.

6. If readers like not only your content, but also the way you put it across then they will be more likely to take you up on your offers and also share the information in your post with others. Be sure to have the right plugins installed on your blog that allows users to share your posts with others easily. Thus creating more traffic for you, bonus!

As you can see, blogging doesn’t have to be difficult. As humans we have a tendency to over complicate things and naturally assume that people won’t like our content. But simply, If you stay true to your writing style and concentrate on good valuable content then you can be sure that your are covering the very basics of blogging.

Do you want learn more Free blogging tips? If so, you can Claim a Free 5 Part Marketing Course Here: http://www.AutomatedRecessionProofIncome.com that explains blogging and other free methods of traffic generation.

Blogging to Enhance Your SEO Efforts

admin    SEO Video     Blogging, Efforts, Enhance

Blogging to Enhance Your SEO Efforts

It might not seem like it (after all, blogs are so commonplace these days that you can’t blame people for having a jaded view of them) but blogs, if used well, can greatly enhance your company’s search engine optimization campaigns. Interesting blog articles give people a reason to come back to your site, increasing traffic and possible sales. Blogs also increase your presence in search engine results. Here are some ways to ensure that you get the most out of your blog.  

Update Regularly
Although it can be hard to come up with new blog posts every day, the effort is well worth it, and in fact necessary if your blog is to have any positive effects on your SEO strategy at all. Regular updates keep readers interested. If your blog grows stagnant, you’ll lose traffic.

Optimize Your Blog
Include the main topic of each blog post in the title and include key search terms throughout the blog article. Don’t force the terms into the article if they don’t fit, but rather include them in a way that is natural. Optimized posts rank really well on search engine results.

Encourage Reader Comments
Asking readers to give their feedback increases a blog’s interactivity and makes visitors feel like part of the discussion, which is integral for the success of a blog. These reader responses also show up on search results and drive additional traffic to your site.

Include Videos
Embedding videos in your posts is a great way to add variety to your blogs, something that readers love. Make sure that videos are well produced, optimize their titles, and use them to show off your company’s products and services. And make them fun to watch.

Social bookmarking
Including social bookmarking tools at the bottom of your posts is key to increasing the usefulness of blog posts in your SEO efforts. These bookmarking tools make it easy for readers to share your posts with others via social networking sites.

Include Links to Other Pages on Your Site
A blog post should cover the most interesting, key points of the article’s topic. Embed links to other pages in your website for people who want to learn more. This is a great way to increase traffic. Also, remember to optimize your links so that they show up on search results.

All of these methods are easy and simple and can give your SEO campaign a significant boost.

For more tips on how to optimize your blogs for SEO, visit http://www.BestRank.com a San Diego SEO company.

Related SEO Video Articles

5 Blogging Plugins You Must Use

admin    Adobe After Effects     Blogging, Must, Plugins

5 Blogging Plugins You Must Use

Plugins for the Wordpress platform are tons of fun and incredibly useful. You’ll find everything you need to turn your blog into something amazing that is every bit as great as you would have imagined. While there are many plugins out there that are worth your while, the five that follow are the cream of the crop.

Akismet

This plugin actually comes standard with your Wordpress installation. You will have to get a Wordpress.com API key to make it work, but after you do it’s pure bliss. This will help keep spam comments away automatically! Akismet is smart enough to put suspected spam into a separate folder, and it even learns from you as you go. You should always activate this plugin for the best results with your blog. It saves you a ton of time too!

Related Posts

Linking to different pages in your blog from every page is a great search engine optimization tactic. The problem with blogs is that it can be so hard to dig through old posts that are related and manually link them in your new post. Related posts solves that problem! This will automatically insert some relevant posts for your blog. It’s very hands-off and very effective. Both visitors and search engines love this plugin.

All in One SEO Pack

Once again, optimizing your site for the search engines is going to be one of the best ways you can make money with your blog. The higher you rank, the more traffic you recieve. The more traffic you receive, the more money you make! The All In One SEO pack makes your life easier because it allows you to specify the title, description (that will show up in the search engines), and keywords.

Wordpress Database Backup

Backing up your blog is crucial if you value your business. You never know what could happen to your server, and it would be awfully devastating to lose everything. You can easily back everything up by pressing a few simple buttons with this effective and very useful plugin.

Top Commentators

This plugin is greatly effective and it encourages a lot of interaction on your blog. It lists the people who have the most comments within your blog. They love this because they get the extra exposure. You love it because people really get into posting to try and be at the top. It also gives social proof. When people visit a blog for the first time they are more likely to stick around if there are clearly other people there who value your content. The fact that they can see others participating is a great thing.

There are an incredible number of different plugins out there that are ready for you to use. Install these essentials and you’ll be well-prepared to become the great blogger you’re going to become.

5 Blogging Plugins You Must Use

admin    Adobe After Effects     Blogging, Must, Plugins

5 Blogging Plugins You Must Use

Plugins for the Wordpress platform are tons of fun and incredibly useful. You’ll find everything you need to turn your blog into something amazing that is every bit as great as you would have imagined. While there are many plugins out there that are worth your while, the five that follow are the cream of the crop.

Akismet

This plugin actually comes standard with your Wordpress installation. You will have to get a Wordpress.com API key to make it work, but after you do it’s pure bliss. This will help keep spam comments away automatically! Akismet is smart enough to put suspected spam into a separate folder, and it even learns from you as you go. You should always activate this plugin for the best results with your blog. It saves you a ton of time too!

Related Posts

Linking to different pages in your blog from every page is a great search engine optimization tactic. The problem with blogs is that it can be so hard to dig through old posts that are related and manually link them in your new post. Related posts solves that problem! This will automatically insert some relevant posts for your blog. It’s very hands-off and very effective. Both visitors and search engines love this plugin.

All in One SEO Pack

Once again, optimizing your site for the search engines is going to be one of the best ways you can make money with your blog. The higher you rank, the more traffic you recieve. The more traffic you receive, the more money you make! The All In One SEO pack makes your life easier because it allows you to specify the title, description (that will show up in the search engines), and keywords.

Wordpress Database Backup

Backing up your blog is crucial if you value your business. You never know what could happen to your server, and it would be awfully devastating to lose everything. You can easily back everything up by pressing a few simple buttons with this effective and very useful plugin.

Top Commentators

This plugin is greatly effective and it encourages a lot of interaction on your blog. It lists the people who have the most comments within your blog. They love this because they get the extra exposure. You love it because people really get into posting to try and be at the top. It also gives social proof. When people visit a blog for the first time they are more likely to stick around if there are clearly other people there who value your content. The fact that they can see others participating is a great thing.

There are an incredible number of different plugins out there that are ready for you to use. Install these essentials and you’ll be well-prepared to become the great blogger you’re going to become.