How to Create a ‘Blogger’ Blog

by sitemanager

Formerly known as Blogspot, Blogger is Google's own self-blogging platform. Much like WordPress.com, it allows individuals and business owners to blog without the need for a third-party hosting service. All files and data are stored are Google's servers, eliminating the need for a domain name and web host. If you are thinking about creating a Blogger blog, however, there are a few things you should know. Getting Started In order to create a Blogger blog, you'll need a Google account. This can be the same account used to access Gmail or other Google services. If you don't have one already, vi...

How to Secure Your Blog Against Hackers

by sitemanager

Are you doing enough to protect your blog against hackers? It's frustrating when you invest countless hours of hard work into building a blog, only to discover that it's been taken over by a hacker. The good news is that you can reduce your chances of being attacked by following some simple steps to secure your blog. Use a Strong Password A strong password is your blog's first line of defense against hackers. Sure, it's easier to remember "myspace123" (note: that used to be the most commonly used password), but that also means hackers can infiltrate your blog more easily. A better and more s...

Should I Blog Under My Real Name or a Pen Name?

by sitemanager

This is a question many first-time bloggers ask (and some seasoned bloggers, as well). One of the key differences between a traditional content-driven website and a blog is that blogs have a more personal touch. The author usually includes his or her name along with a thumbnail photo to create a stronger connection with their readers. But should you use your real name or a pen name when blogging? Pen Name Let's go ahead and discuss the most obvious benefit of using a pen name: identity protection. By blogging under a pen name, you can conceal your real identity from the public. Why is this i...

Image Optimization 101: How To Optimize Your Site’s Images

by sitemanager

When you're busy researching topics and writing new posts/articles, it's easy to overlook something as simple as image optimization. Besides, if an image looks okay on your website, what's the point of optimizing it? Well, just because an image loads and functions doesn't necessarily mean that it's optimized for maximum performance. Making small tweaks to it can reduce your site's load time, which subsequently improves user engagement and possibly even increase your site's search ranking. File Type There are several different image file types from which to choose, including JPG (the most pop...

I Want to Start a Blog. What Now?

by sitemanager

So, you've made the decision to start blogging, but now you're faced with the task of actually turning your vision into a reality. If this is your first time attempting to blog, you may feel overwhelmed at the technical complexity of it. Don't worry, because we're going to walk you through the steps to creating your first blog. Choose a Niche What do you want your blog to be about? Some people choose general topics like "health," or "automobiles." While there's nothing wrong with blogging about these topics, you should choose a more narrow niche for your blog. General topics like health or a...

How To Transfer a WordPress.com Blog to Self-Hosted

by sitemanager

Being that WordPress is the largest and most popular content management system (CMS), it should come as little-to-no surprise that it's the preferred platform among seasoned bloggers. It's fast, efficient, supports the use of multiple authors, and it's search engine friendly. But many bloggers make the mistake of using the hosted version found at WordPress.com. If your blog is currently using hosted WordPress, you should consider moving it to your own server by following the steps outlined below. Why Self-Hosted WordPress is Better While there are advantages and disadvantages associated with...

5 Dirty Truths About Blogging

by sitemanager

Some blogging advice that used to be accurate has become outdated. Following are common "truths" that now need a second look. Keyword Density Matters Many bloggers believe they must achieve a specific keyword density when writing their blog posts; otherwise, their posts won't rank and their traffic will decline. So instead of writing with the end user in mind, they write content specifically for search engines, ensuring it contains a certain number of keywords. While this tactic used to work, it has since gone the way of the dinosaurs, with search engines playing little-to-no attention on me...

The Scoop on Product Endorsements in Blogs

by sitemanager

You might want to think twice before blogging a product or service that you were either given for free or paid for writing about. Even if you good intentions -- which most bloggers do -- you could be breaking the law. So, what's the scoop on product endorsements in blogs? Just five or so years ago, this wasn't even a topic for discussion. Bloggers wrote about products without disclosing any relationship they had with the manufacturer. Since then, however, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has revised its guidelines to prohibit this practice. Bloggers are still free to write about products ...

How To Lower Your Blog’s Bounce Rate

by sitemanager

When you're busy analyzing key performance indicators (KPI) for your blog like unique visitors, returning visitors, average time spent on site, etc., it's easy to overlook the bounce rate. However, a high bounce rate is a sign of an underlying problem, and unless that problem is fixed, you won't be able to gain any real traction with your readers. So, what steps can you take to lower your blog's bounce rate? Bounce Rate Defined Let's first go over the basic definition of bounce rate, as some people are hearing about it for the first time. The term "bounce rate" is defined as the percentage o...

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