Internet Technology

Beware! 4 Things That Can Hurt Your Blog’s Rankings

Posted on by sitemanager
Search rankings play a direct role in the amount of traffic a blog receives. In fact, a study conducted by the marketing firm Chitka found that websites in the first organic, non-paid position in Google receive 32.5% traffic share for the respective keyword, whereas websites in the eleventh position received an abysmal 1% traffic share. This week, we're going to discuss some things that are known to negatively impact a blog's search ranking. Duplicate Content Don't get me wrong, small amounts of duplicate content is perfectly fine and shouldn't have a negative impact on your blog's rankings....
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Why Won’t Google Index My Blog?

Posted on by sitemanager
Can't seem to find your blog listed in Google's search results? While Yahoo and Bing may provide some traffic, it fails in comparison to the Big G. So when a blog fails to rank in Google, it can be troubling for the owner. The good news is that you can often fix this issue, first by identifying why Google hasn't indexed your blog. Copyright If your blog has been reported for copyright violations, Google may deindex it. The person or organization reporting the violation, however, must provide ample proof; otherwise, Google will let it be. To check and see if your blog has been reported, visit...
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Should I Allow Visitors to Comment on My Blog?

Posted on by sitemanager
blog comment box
If you're thinking about launching a blog, one of the decisions you'll have to make is whether or not to allow visitors to submit comments. There are both advantages and disadvantages to enabling this feature. Many newcomers assume the best solution is to disable visitor commenting, but the answer isn't as cut and dry as this. So, should you allow visitors to submit comments on your blog? Benefits of Visitor Commenting The primary benefit in allowing visitors to comment on your blog is the free content it creates. Each time a visitor leaves a comment, it adds unique, relevant content to your...
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Mistakes To Avoid When Starting a Blog

Posted on by sitemanager
Thinking about starting a blog? Doing so is a great way to establish a strong presence on the web, generate a following, and even promote your products and/or services. However, you'll want to avoid making the following mistakes when blogging. Wrong Content Management System There are literally dozens of different content management systems (CMS) available, some of which include Drupal, Joomla, BigCommerce, Blogger, Business Catalyst, Tumblr and WordPress. With so many different choices, how do you know which one to choose? For the purposes of blogging, most experts will agree that WordPress...
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How To Make Your Blog Stand Out

Posted on by sitemanager
While the exact number remains unknown, it's estimated that there are more than 150 million active blogs on the Internet. This includes personal journals, political, entertainment, social, and even crossover e-commerce blogs. With so many blogs currently online -- and more being created each day -- many beginners struggle to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Why Your Blog NEEDS To Stand Out There are several reasons why you should create a unique blog rather than following in the footsteps of other bloggers. For starters, it gives visitors a reason to choose your blog over you...
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How To Backup a WordPress Blog

Posted on by sitemanager
As the saying goes, hope for the best but prepare for the worst, holds true when blogging. Hopefully nothing will happen to the server on which your blog is stored, but if it does you should have a copy of your data ready to get it back online. Failure to routinely backup your blog is a serious mistake that can cause you a world of trouble later down the road. Backing up traditional static websites is relatively easy. All you need to do is connect to your web host using a file transfer protocol (FTP) program and download your files. If you ever need to restore a static website, you simply ...
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Choosing a WordPress Theme

Posted on by sitemanager
One of the perks of using WordPress as your blogging platform is the wide variety of free and paid templates (known as themes) it offers. Rather than attempting to hard-code a new design from scratch, you can simply download and activate your preferred theme. This allows bloggers to instantly change the look and function of their blog without messing with code. But with tens of thousands of different themes available, how  do you know which one to choose? Free or Premium? The allure of a free theme may sound enticing, but it's usually best to spend the extra money and invest in a premium the...
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Easy Ways To Promote Your Blog

Posted on by sitemanager
Traffic is a direct indication of a blog's success. Without traffic, no one will see what you are publishing, and thus your blog will fall into the abyss where countless others lie. If you're struggling to generate traffic to your blog, check out some of the following methods of promotion listed below. Submit Your Blog To Directories Before you start submitting your blog to thousands upon thousands of directories, it's important to note that there's a difference between between high-quality and low-quality directories. Submitting your blog to the wrong directories could actually hurt your ef...
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Who Owns Your Domain Name? Hopefully You Do

Posted on by sitemanager
The domain name is arguably the single most important element of a website, which is why it's important to have complete ownership over it. Unfortunately, however, it's not uncommon for inexperienced bloggers and webmasters to allow their web designer to register the domain name for them. This may not cause any immediate problems, but it can lead to some severe heartache later down the road. Third-Party Domains The biggest problem associated with third-party domain registrations is the potential for losing control of the domain. Even if you are the rightful owner of the domain, the Internet ...
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Why Self-Hosted Blogs Are Better

Posted on by sitemanager
One of the decisions you'll have to make when starting a blog is whether to use a hosted or self-hosted platform. Two of the most popular blogging content management systems (CMS) -- WordPress and Blogger -- offer both of these options. While many beginners automatically assume hosted is the best option, spending the extra time and resources to set up a self-hosted blog will prove far more beneficial in the long run. Custom Domain You can always tell if a blog is hosted or self-hosted by looking at its domain name. Hosted blogs are restricted to subdomains, such as yoursite.wordpress.com...
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