Nigel McFarlane

Best Blog Hosting Services

Written by admin on July 15, 2009

Don’t be fooled:  no two blog hosting services are the same, and if you truly want to make money blogging, finding the right blogging service is actually crucial to your game.  After all, not all blog services provide the same suite of features, and some are bound to be better at supporting a money-making blog than the rest.

So which of the biggest names in the industry takes our vote?  Here’s a shortlist of what you can expect from blog providers, and why some of them are the best when it comes to monetizing your site:

1.  Blogger.com

Blogger.com offers free blog hosting that’s easy and convenient to use – you don’t even have to know HTML or any other com.  The only downside to Blogger.com blogs is that they don’t provide a lot of money-making tools to aspiring professional bloggers.  For instance, Blogger.com doesn’t support static pages, plugins (little chunks of code that you can squeeze into your blog to boost its functionality and money-making capacity), nor  does it have an automatic analytics function that will track your traffic for you.

If you’re into blogging only as a hobby, for personal reasons, or just for kicks, Blogger’s simplicity will definitely fit your purposes,  If you want to make money, however, Blogger probably can’t support your site very well, as opposed to other hosting services.

2.  WordPress
When it comes to WordPress, you essentially have two choices:  one, to go with their free, hosted service at WordPress.com, or two, to put up your self-hosted, fully customizable blog with WordPress.org.  The former, WordPress.com, bears a striking resemblance to Blogger.com’s platform, except that it has a sprinkling of additional features, such as automatic site tracking, a dashboard text editor, and a spam blocker.

WordPress.org, on the other hand, supports monetization much better than WordPress.com can.  The downloadable blogging software doesn’t cost a thing, and, unlike WordPress.com, will let you download thousands of free templates and money-making plugins to enhance your blog’s functionality.  The problem with this is that you’ll have to find and pay for web hosting to your own blog.  WordPress.org also tends to be very confusing to newbie bloggers, and will actually require at least some technical skills before you can finally put up your blog.

3.  SOLOBIS.net
If you haven’t heard of the SOLOBIS.net WordPress Plan yet, it’s because this service is the newest one in the blogging industry.  Don’t be fooled by the fact that it’s fresh, though.  This service looks like it can outdo the current giants, simply because it provides a solution that the big names don’t: it gives bloggers the best of both worlds.

Upon signing up for a SOLOBIS account, you will immediately receive a blog that has a SOLOBIS.net subdomain (e.g., www.johnsmith.solobis.net).  SOLOBIS.net blogs are run on the WordPress engine, which is good news for WordPress enthusiasts, since you’ll already be familiar with the controls.  The great thing about this service is that it combines the ease of use and convenience of WordPress.com with the customization and monetization capacities of WordPress.org.  Each SOLOBIS.net blog is already bundled with the best money-making plugins in the WordPress scene, along with over a hundred beautiful templates to choose from.

The fact that these themes and plugins are pre-installed in your blog means that you won’t have to waste time running around and looking for the right tools that will help you make money blogging.  In fact, if you think of it, your SOLOBIS.net blog is actually ready to make money way before you are.  It’s perfect for beginners who want to learn how to blog profitably without losing their heads, and it’s just as great for experienced bloggers who can only stand to benefit from all those money-making tools.

Although Blogger.com and WordPress.com are great for beginners, they fail to provide adequate support for blogs that will ultimately be monetized.  And while WordPress.org definitely provides top-notch service and a lot of customization legroom, turning up a profit can take a long while, since you’ll have to do all the work on your own.  With SOLOBIS.net, however, a blogger doesn’t have to be an expert to start making money right away — all the tools are already there, waiting to be run towards big profits.  From the looks of it, you can’t find a better combination of convenience, versatility, and profitability as the one that the SOLOBIS.net WordPress Plan is already offering to its users.

The Definition of Blogging

Written by admin on July 14, 2009

Do you have a lot of things in your mind that you want other people to know? Do you have comments about certain issues that you want to share to others? Do you have new information that you want others to learn? Do you love to write articles that you want many people to read? If your answer to one or all of the questions is yes then blogging is for you. What is blogging? Generally, blogging is described as a way of writing about something that you want other people to read over the internet. It is a way of expressing your thoughts and feelings for others to know.

However, blogging can take a lot of meaning, depending on who will be the one doing it. What is blogging for many young people? For most teenagers and the youth, it is one way to socialize in the net. It is their venue to connect with the people their age, with the people who share the same interests. For example there are social networks that allow users to write blogs. To keep your friends on coming back, just keep writing interesting blogs that will catch their attention.

What is blogging for people in the academe? For professors, scholars and students, it is a way for them to share and exchange ideas about topics like the newest development in the search for the cure for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or for the latest techniques in robotics. By writing blogs, they can present their researches for possible comments and suggestions. They can also reach out to people who are uninterested in academic stuff and would rather surf the Internet than read these blogs.

What is blogging for entrepreneurs? Blogging is a way for them to get more web traffic and advertise their products. Some entrepreneurs create their own blogs where they can post promotional gimmicks, testimonials and reviews. Thos into newbie marketing buy ad spaces in other blogs to reach possible customers. Some sponsor blogs for promotion.

Some people consider blogging as a source of their income. These are the people whom entrepreneurs go to for promotion of their products if they cannot or do not want to create their own blogs. Entrepreneurs look for blogs with niche topics that are directly related or in some way associated with their products.It’s one rule of SEO For example, people selling cellular phones or computers look for blogs that talk about different gadgets. They get to be exposed to their target market.

Some bloggers write blogs to create niche blogs so they can attract advertisers. They can just simply write about a certain topic and offer ad spaces for products related to what they write. There are some who write something and then mention a product name which is linked to that product’s own website. They also offer to write good reviews for certain products and also get paid doing it.

If you want to have your own blog, examine your intentions. Ask yourself why you want to have a blog and then tailor fit your blog according to your intentions. You can even have several blogs to answer your different needs. There is no rule that says that you have to be confined in just one area only. The possibilities are endless when it comes to blogging. You just have to explore blogging and benefit from it.

7 tips on how to make money blogging for professional mommy bloggers

Written by admin on July 13, 2009

More morthers than ever before are turning to blogs as a easy way to get started online. Mommy bloggers are an influencial crowd on the web.This is because starting a blog is an easy thing to do. Mothers who don't have time to spend on learning how to create a website find a suitable and easier solution in blogs.

In order to become a professional blogger it is important to learn from professionals who can not only help you get started but take you all the way from beginner to someone who knows how to make money blogging.

Below are 7 tips that you can use to help you towards your goal of becoming a professional mommy blogger :

1. Your own blog is my first tip. Not just any blog but an easy to navigate blog full of high quality content.

2. You will view your blog as a professional business and like all professional businesses you will want to set goals to ensure it succeeds.

3. If you are working towards becoming a professional mommy blogger you will want to focus on your mindset and overcoming any limits you may have that will stop you achieving your goals. Professional training that will show you how to make money blogging will also be important to you.

4. Writing is important if you are to become a professional blogger. It definitely helps to love it but if you are not a fluent writer you can use other methods.

5. The most professional mommy bloggers will want to set about building their own subscriber list. They will provide a free ezine, write ebooks or special reports to give away.

6. A professional blogger uses all the tools that are available to them, which means not only writing blog posts but also using audio and video, perhaps running teleseminars, being active on social networks and always staying on top of what is current in their own blogging niche in general but also in the blogging world in particular.

7. As a professional mommy blogger you will want to learn how to build community. You are able to help people to achieve their goals by authentically sharing about your life, passion, business and/or niche.

Learning how to make money blogging is a definite strategy for any mother looking to start an online business. People often wonder what it takes to become a professional blogger and I have listed what I believe are seven important strategies to consider.

Set your sights on success by planning what you want to achieve with your blog business, continually providing value to the people that read your blog, staying current with the news that is happening in your niche and using all the tools available including social media sites and other remote blogs. When you do this on a regular and consistent basis you will reap the rewards the come from living the life of a professional mommy blogger.

Learning How to Make Money Blogging

Written by admin on July 12, 2009

There are two big ways that bloggers are using to make money blogging. The most common way to profit on your blog is to sell advertising to different companies and brands who looking to reach your audience demographics. The second way to money making blogging is to help a single brand improve its image by creating positive associations between the blog and the product in the mind of consumers. If the blooger implementing these methods has a good marketing mind then there can be some good money made and better yet a positive experience for the company.

If your goal is to make money blogging by selling advertising then there are a two of ways to go about it and they are to either sell the advertising yourself or outsource this task to a company that does this. Within the first group, many websites make money blogging by running Google ads. The advantages of this program are numerous, as it requires very little effort on the part of the blogger or webmaster to begin raking in profits. However, most people discover that they make less money through this method than they had hoped that their blog would earn.

Selling advertising directly to companies who want to put banner ads or sponsored links on your blog can take quite a bit of time, but it is often fairly lucrative. If you have a lot of contacts in industries that are related to the topic of your blog, you may want to try to go this route. People who have a strong background in sales and are experienced at pitching proposals can make quite a bit of money by renting blog space to interested companies. The most serious problem with this model is that you often have to build quite a sizable readership before you can attract advertisers, which can mean that you have to do several months of work before you start to make money blogging.

As blogging becomes a more and more lucrative business, a lot of established companies are considering how they can get into the action. One thing companies are realizing the a blog done right can provide a kind of friendly face for their corporation. Often, a company will employ an established blogger to create a weblog designed specifically to appeal to that company’s customers and to create positive associations with the brand in consumers’ minds. These oppotunity for both bloggers and companies to come together for mutual benefit are becoming more and more common.

Getting Over Blogger’s Block

Written by admin on July 11, 2009

Every blogger has had those days when words are especially hard to come by, and all the sentences you type out sound wrong.  Or what about those times when you feel like you’re out of fresh ideas and you feel like you have nothing new to say about your niche?  Blogger’s block is a common but frustrating obstacle for a lot of bloggers, especially because it’s a waste of time and the daily opportunity to make money blogging.  

Don’t fret, though.  Blogger’s Block, while inevitable, is not that hard to combat.  Here’s what you can do when you’ve hit the dreaded wall, and what it takes to climb over it:

1.  Get a change of scenery
It can get pretty boring working in just one place all day.  Why not pick a different spot to work in to literally get a different view on things?  The change in scenery can spur you towards new ideas that can kick your blogging into action.  Choose a spot that you don’t usually work in, such as the terrace or the dining table.  You don’t even have to stay in your house!  Head out to a coffee shop you like, plug in your laptop, and type away while enjoying a cup of good coffee.

If you don’t have a laptop, however, don’t despair.  You need not be chained to your PC all day.  Just get up, take a break, and move away from your computer for a while.  A 15- or 20-minute break and a breath of fresh air can do wonders and help you get a shot of new ideas and perspectives.

2.  Move away from distractions
Don’t set yourself up for a bout of blogger’s block by positioning yourself in a place that’s chock-full of potential distractions.  Turn off the TV and the radio, or anything else that might keep you from thinking clearly.  If people are making a lot of noise, politely ask them to tone it down a bit.

Potential sources of distraction can also come right from your PC: games on your hard drive and certain websites can suck you in for a long time if you don’t exercise caution and restraint.  Do your best to focus on your work, and set aside a time for leisurely browsing.

3.  There’s no need to be perfect
Sometimes, bloggers get stuck because they’re working under the impression that they need to make amazing blog entries each time.  While it’s good to be so meticulous, there’s actually no need to make every post a flawless one.  Instead, aim to deliver content that’s satisfying, interesting, and informative, even if it’s just minimally so.

4.  Pre-empt the block
The best way to fight blogger’s block is by preventing it from happening in the first place.  Draw up an entry planner or calendar that you can fill up at the beginning of the month with ideas for potential articles.  This way, you always have a blueprint for your blog posts, and you won’t have to worry about what you’ll blog about the next day.  You can even use the hours you save on extra time to make money blogging.

Although blogger’s block can be really annoying, it’s not all that hard to get over it.  All you need to do is keep these techniques in mind, and you won’t hit a lot of snags as you go on blogging.  Just remember to take it easy on yourself, and the words should flow out in no time.

How to Create a Media Kit for Your Blog

Written by admin on July 10, 2009

By this time, you must have heard about media advertising kits and what they can do to help you make money blogging.  But what exactly is a media kit?  Basically, it’s a page that’s crammed with information that should draw in advertisers and make them interested in putting up an ad on your blog.  It’s what you should put up if you’re at a point where direct advertising is your next step, and your eager to step up your efforts at monetizing your site.

If you want to start making your own media kit, there are certain guidelines you should follow.  Although media kits can come in various forms, the most effective ones all have a few crucial elements in place.  Here are a few guidelines that you can refer to when you want to start making your own media kit:

1.  Keep it simple
The last thing you want to do is sound like an academic snob on your media kit.  When you start writing for it, string your ideas together using succinct sentences and simple phrasing and wording.  Trust us: advertisers don’t want to decode your media kit, so make everything as short, simple, and straightforward as possible.

2.  Include your blog’s profile and stats:

State clearly what your blog is about and what subject matter it deals with.  What exactly is your niche, and which part of your niche is your blog most focused on?  Another indispensable element in a media kit is information on your blog’s statistics.  These figures show advertisers how well your blog is doing, and indicates how much exposure their ads will get just by sitting on your site.  Show the average number of visitors you get each month, the number of backlinks you have, and other such relevant data that advertisers will be interested in.  You can even include a screenshot of your Google Analytics page just to drive home the point.

3.  Give clear information on your ad packages:
Your ad packages are the heart of the matter here, so do your best to make all the information about them as clear as possible.  If an advertiser is impressed by the exposure that you can provide for their ads, they’ll definitely want a spot in your blog.  Show on your media kit how much your packages are, what the button and banner sizes are, and where they will be positioned in your blog.

4.  Create a page exclusively for it:
Put up a tab or a link on your site with an “Advertise” or “Advertise Here” label to direct potential advertisers to your media kit.  After all, what use is one if they can’t find it?  Position the tab or link in a prominent place, where interested parties can see it right away.

Nothing can be more rewarding than when you finally make money blogging, and creating a media kit is just one of the many ways through which you can kick the process into high gear.  Now that you know what the ground rules for making a kit are, it’s time for you to put up one and begin monetizing your blog more seriously.

Tools You Need to Have for Blogging

Written by admin on July 9, 2009

Within the internet community, blogging so far has been staple. From personal use, it has evolved to become an essential tool in delivering up-to-date news and building communications in a business. Newbie marketing and professionals alike use blogging as a tool to become better in their craft or as a money making business endeavour. That is why choosing the right blogging tools is essential in making one’s life as a blogger easier.

What are blogging tools? Blogging tools are software that allows its user to create and publish blogs. Different blogging tools have different features. From adding photos, video, and sound to changing and personalizing the look of one’s blog, these features allow one to customize their blogs to fit its content or the blogger’s personality and preferences. Choosing the right tool that fills the needs of the users is the key to becoming a successful online publisher.

Remember that different blogging tools use different features. The kinds of features they have depend on what kind of users will most likely use them. There are some software that only includes some basic features and are designed for beginners who don’t have much knowledge about building sites and blogging. Other blogging software caters to more experienced bloggers. SEO services say that they have advanced features that are a little more complicated to understand and use.

Now, there are two different types of blogging software and these are the hosted blog software and independent blog software. Hosted blog software are software where all the data and features are accessible online. Independent blog software can be downloaded and installed in a web server of the user’s choosing. Independent blogs can be done even if the user is not online. It can be configured to the blogger’s specifications. Posts can be published on the time indicated by the user.

Here are some features blogging tools may have:

· Creating and publishing posts – The most essential feature a blogging software can have. Since the main purpose of blogging is the posting of written content, being able to write fast and accurately is what every blogger needs.

· Uploading photo’s, video, and sound – Some more advanced blogging software allows its users to add photo’s or video or even sound to their post. This makes it easier for the readers. There are those who don’t want to download files in order to view or hear something that the blogger wants to share.

· Displaying of content and user interface – To make a blog readable, users must be able to navigate around the site easily and read blog entries with ease.

· Customizing layout and design of the blog – A blogs design and appearance must reflect its content and its maker. Blogs need to allow users to personalize the appearance and overall theme for the blog..

· Blog statistics – To keep track of the blogs performance, the blogger must be able to see how much web traffic it generates. With this information one can make adjustments on how to improve traffic and sustain the interest of its visitors.

There are many more features that a blogging tool can posess. From the most basic to the most advanced, it is up to the user which features he or she will need in his or her blog

Secrets To Getting Unique Content For Your Blog

Written by admin on July 8, 2009

Blogs and websites that have rich content are always going to do better than those that don’t. I am sure you wondered where these blogs get their ideas, views and opinions. It is easy to write about something you are passionate about- but to do that most days of the week is extremely hard, since you would probably run out of things to talk about or you simply don’t have the time. So how do they do it? Where do they get their ideas? Do they get help from tools and other sources available on the Internet?

The best way to ensure that your site offers regularly updated, unique content which will interest your readers is to write all of it yourself. Especially if your site is promoting your affiliate marketing business, this is important since you need to establish yourself as an expert in your field and pre-sell your audience on the affiliate product or service.

You can write reviews including personal anecdotes about the product or service. These are a good way to personalize your content and make your audience more likely to trust your recommendations about products.

Using private label articles is a viable alternative. PL articles abound in the Internet and you can always buy some that are connected to your central topic and then place them in your blog. One way of maximizing a purchased PLA is to cut it down into several pieces, thereby maximizing its content.

Utilizing RSS feeds to post on blogs is becoming very popular, although not everyone is familiar or willing to learn about RSS feeds. The advantage to an RSS feed is that your blog is automatically updated with fresh news and content. The disadvantage is that it is not unique content and that anybody interested in the feed will likely click out on a story that appeals to them.

Writing your own content is unquestionably the best thing to do. You can get ideas for posts or articles from news sources – when you find an interesting story, you can write a piece summarizing the article. It takes some practice to produce compelling content from these outside sources, but with time you’ll be able to position yourself as a valuable news source to your readers. If you just don’t have the time or think your writing skills are not up to the task, then you can hire a writer or a writing service to handle producing your content for you. There are even blog services out there which specialize in writing new, unique content and posting it on your blog daily. You can specify the topics you want covered. Having professionally written, high quality content can bring you an increase in traffic (and if you’re an affiliate marketer, commissions) which will more than make up for the cost of the service.

These are the best ways to generate content for your blog. It is advisable not to be going with the automated path. If you do decide to do that, you will probably have plenty of content- but the substance of the text is unlikely to increase traffic for you. Putting in some good, old-fashioned content work will yield better results for you. As the expression goes- “you get out what you put in….”!!

Increase Conversion Rates in your Home Based Business Franchise

Written by admin on July 7, 2009

Almost every home in America is now connected to the Internet.How do new home based business franchise owners sift through all the information to be learned from social media networks.  On the other hand, the internet can be a great resource that cannot be overlooked for any business, online or offline. 

In the last couple of years, the Internet has seen a new trend develop which was rapidly adopted by internet marketers and savvy (although mostly corporate) marketers.  If you had to start with nothing (No list, web space, etc), you only had your PC and an internet connection, what would you do from scratch to start building your new empire?  We have been self teaching myself Internet Marketing for well over 2 years now.

Being able to capitalize on Social Networking on the Internet will put your home based business franchise ahead of the competition.  Since most people have not looked into marketing on the Internet – part of my business is teaching my customers that getting a website up and running is only the start of marketing on the Internet.  This is how your business will profit from Internet Marketing. 

An information website, by itself, is no longer effective “in the eyes” of a web savvy buyer.  By far, the most effective way of doing this, is giving your visitors content rich information they can use, in a format they are comfortable using, and provide “verifiable proof of treatment expertise” with actual r photo results and testimonials from satisfied customers.

People want to be doing business with home based business franchises who care enough to give them good quality information and so selling by itself is longer good enough for the web savvy buyer.  What will set you apart from your competitors though is the ability to build trust with your prospects and by far the most effective way of doing this, is by giving your visitors information they can use.  People are choosing companies who care enough not only to give them good quality treatment but information and services that make their online experience easier.   

Times have changed, and the way people get information has changed, too.  Are you building on their interest to lead them to new information?  It used to be that prospective buyers relied on sellers for product or service information, now they are turning to the internet to find their answers.

Create your own Home Based Business Franchise, we can show you how.  A Home Based Business Franchise can bring the financial freedom you desire.

How to Boost Traffic to Your Blog

Written by admin on July 6, 2009

At one point in your life as a blogger, you’ll realize that your site could do with a little more traffic than it usually gets.  After all, getting a lot of traffic is important if you want to make money blogging.  The good news here is that you don’t need to be familiar with complex, highly technical SEO methods just to improve your site’s stats.  Instead, all you need is to make a few tweaks to your blogging strategy to achieve some very noticeable results.  Here’s a list of the best methods that will help you give your site’s traffic an extra push:

1.  Get out there and socialize!

One good way to increase traffic to your blog is by going to other blogs and leaving a footprint wherever you go.  The principle behind this is that people will frequently check out where their blog visitors are coming from, and your blog will be no exception.  Leave relevant, intelligent comments on another blogger’s post, making sure that you attach your name and a link back to your blog at the end of your comment.

You can also link to other sites as a means of getting more traffic.  More often than not, these blogs will link back to you (unless they’re the larger, more successful blogs), therefore opening up your site to their own visitors and network.

You can also pay a visit to forum boards that talk about the very same topic that your blog deals with.  Be an active member, post helpful information, and most importantly, leave a link to your blog that other forum members can click through if they want to get more of your unique advice.

2.  Fan out your work to article directories:

Article directories are a great way to spread your work, cement your credibility through your articles, and get backlinks from other sites.  Places like eZine Articles and Buzzle are a great place to send your articles to, since they have a lot of users and your articles – which should come with a link to your blog — are sure to find an audience there.  Take note, however, that these services exact some very strict rules: there’s always a minimum word count for submissions, and some topics are just taboo.

3.   Write better posts
The most effective way to draw traffic into your blog is by providing great content that gets your readers’ attention and distinguishes you from other competing blogs.  Make each blog entry worth your visitors’ while, and they’re bound to return to your site.

While there’s no real formula on how to attract more traffic and make money blogging, what you can do to give your blog an advantage is to fill it with quality posts that will demonstrate your expertise in your chosen niche.  As long as you make each visit worth their time, they’re going to come back and spread the word about your blog, bringing you the traffic your site deserves.