Wordpress is the GOD of blogging Platforms!

There are many blogging platforms available online today. But, the most popular and powerful one I believe is the WordPress. This is also the easiest and user friendly blogging platform to work with. Even if you are new to blogosphere, wordpress will definitely leave you admiring it in no time you start using it.

To gain the maximum benefit of using the wordpress, you need to be well aware of the functions like plugins, widgets and themes. They allow you to get the best out of your blog. You can change the way your blog functions and appear to the readers by using these add-ons which also allows your blog to reach to wider audience.

Today, I will explain the functionalities and the tips to build a better blog from scratch using wordpress.  But first, you need to know the three important parts of wordpress which make this blogging platform GOD!!

Theme

Thesis Theme

The theme you choose can make or break your blog. One of the most important tasks in building a better blog is choosing the right theme. Most bloggers are aware about this fact and spend most of their time choosing a theme that best suits the needs of the content and the niche. The theme you use gives an idea to the readers about the niche of your blog even though you might not have content in it at first. Choose a theme that speaks of the blog topic and make sure the color combinations used are not hard on the eyes because the main purpose of blogging is to attract visitors and turn them into loyal readers. If they don’t like your style or theme, they will not love you!

Plugins

WP Plugs

The invention of plugins have changed the way a blog appears in terms of its strengths. There are many powerful plugins built by the vast number of supporters, coders and fans of wordpress. It is no exaggeration that there is more number of wordpress plugins built than those of any other blogging platform. Plugins work in many ways; some work on the background of the platform. Some of them help in search engine optimization, to collect the statistical data of the blog, to optimize the ads displayed, posts, comments and even to enrich the appearance of the blog. All the plugins are not suitable for every blog. So before choosing a plugin for your blog, find out if it supports the version of wordpress you are using. You also need to make sure that it serves the purpose. It will be awkward if you install a recipe plugin in a tech niche blog. Most plugins are free to use and are very easy to install.

Widgets

Adding Widgets to your Sidebar

Widgets are the extra elements that are located in the side bar of any blog. These include adding links to pages, posts, recent posts, calendar, text note and even posts and comments subscription options. You can even add external html or JavaScript code snippets in the sidebar with the help of these widgets. You can even delete any widget with the click of a mouse anytime you like. It is that simple! You can always experiment on adding new widgets to your blog. Widgets usually come with a drag-drop feature that makes it easy for you to place any widget you like at any place in the sidebar.

I hope this post was useful, if you have any questions then feel free to ask. In my next post, I will write a simple step by step guide on setting up your wordpress and writing your first post.

Backlinking, Plugins, Pinging, RSS Feed, Comments

The interactive nature of Blogs is hard to beat. One reason why blogs are more popular than the usual html websites is the ability that blogs feature interms of user interactivity such as commenting systems, feed subscriptions, social bookmarking and many more plugins. These features attract visitors and turn them to blog subscribers and potential buyers of your product or service that you offer. Plugins, Pinging, Backlinking, RSS Feed capability and the ability of people to add comments all contribute to its interactive nature. WordPress as we all know is the blog platform dominator. It has a lot of very neat plugins that make SEO and interacting with other forms of Social Media effortless.

Universal Acceptance

Blogs have created a revolution in the way the information in transmitted and shared. All the social networking and bookmarking sites such as digg, facebook, twitter requires that the users register to view profiles or certain information but blogs can be accessed by anyone who has an internet connection. A Blog allows you to achieve a potentially infinite number of customers for your business. You can interact with any person at any corner of the globe.

Market your blog, not your business!

One of the most important thing that most successful marketers do is, they showoff their blogs to the world to prove their expertise in the business. As said earlier, your blog speaks of you and your business in total. So, it is important that you link your blog wherever possible. All of your social media activities should be organized to link back to your blog. Market it through twitter, facebook, digg, youtube videos and everything possible to generate visitors which can later convert them to potential customers. The amount of time you spend and concentrate on improving and updating your blog is directly proportional to the business that is feasible through it. Just take it this way, if i made a post on facebook, you probably had to sign up and login to view it. Blog is the most important part of your Social Media strategy. If you don not have one then start one today!!

My next post will focus on blog optimization and steps to create a successful blog; please spread the word!

The Importance of Your Blog

More than 50 thousand blogs are created everyday. We come across several websites where people talk about how to make money from blogging. Top bloggers like Darren Rowse, Yaro Starak and John Chow are best known for their blogging skills and credibility. They have tons of loyal readers who are hungry for valuable information; these readers are constantly checking the blogs to find out the latest posts or happenings.

What makes a best blogger? How can you succeed in blogging? Is blogging the right choice for you?

These are questions which have been answered in the past by various bloggers and experts but it is obvious that users are still confused and seeking for valuable information everyday.

I have decided to dedicate this blog to teach and share knowledge with everyone who are passionate about blogging.

Blogs are important and play a vital role in the growth of any business online. Ross Goldberg referred blogs as a huge an important product of a business. If you start a blog, you need to work on it. We need to treat our blog as a product that we manufactured.

Today, I will post 3 reasons followed by more 3 in my upcoming post on why blogs are so important and the ways they can improve your business.

Make your blog content rich

Content is King. You hear that everyday and everywhere. The amount of content your blog has, it’s quality, authenticity and simplicity determine your level in the social media presence. Make sure that you write on your blog and not just copy and paste from some random website. You write about what you are good at; you need to be passionate about a niche to work on it. If you are writing about something that doesnt interest you but makes you money then please Stop it right there! You might be making some money for sometime but if you dont see the future, you will never succeed. If you are a tech person, you should blog about tech. If you love playing football then write about football.

Building credibility through a blog is the most important thing and to achieve that, first you need to know what you are doing. Write with passion to attract viewers. Your blog content can turn visitors to loyal readers, followers and even fans of your blog. You can post as much content relevant to the niche in your blog. Love your blog, love what you do and love your readers.

Pose the Question and Answer IT!

More than one third of the readers/visitors use search engines to get an answer or solution to a problem. They are constantly googling for articles or guides to learn new things. I always love answering questions and in my opinion I always suggest that bloggers have a question and answer section. By writing targeted posts that answer the questions of the searched queries, your blog stand a chance to be listed in top of search engines that can divert heaps of traffic to your blog.

The Look of your blog

problogger.net is one of my favorites in terms of design and neatness

If i say Content is King then I must say that Design is the QUEEN. Blogs need to be user friendly. You dont expect your readers to look for sections and posts throughout the blog. You must have everything organized so users can find what they are looking for with a click. All successful blogs have clean design, colors that are not hard on eyes, good navigation and internal search option and links to related posts. These are key elements that one has to keep in mind while designing or choosing a theme for the blog. You can find tons of decent free themes that you can use but i would always advise to use a premium one if you are serious about blogging. Contd…