Choosing a Niche For Your Blog

Thinking about starting a new blog? If so, you'll want to choose a niche that's best suited for your goals. Many bloggers make the mistake of creating a generalized blog, covering every topic under the sun. While this tactic may work for large-scale, established brands like Huffington Post, it's a sure-fire recipe for disaster for everyone else. So, how do you choose the right niche for your blog? Lots of Traffic, Little Competition A good rule of thumb to follow when choosing a niche for your blog is to choose one with high traffic and low competition. In other words, you want plenty of use...
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Top Tips To Writing Stellar Blog Content

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Content is the single most important element when determining the success of a blog. It's the force that drives visitors, giving them a reason to return in the future. Google even confirmed this belief by telling webmasters to, "Provide high-quality content on your pages, especially your homepage. This is the single most important thing to do. If your pages contain useful information, their content will attract many visitors and entice webmasters to link to your site." But many bloggers, especially newcomers to the blogging scene, struggle to produce high-quality content. They assume it's O...
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WordPress Posts vs Pages: What’s The Difference?

WordPress uses two different formats on which content is created and stored: posts and pages. Some users assume these formats are the same, with no distinguishable differences between the two. While they share some similarities in terms of appearance and function, however, posts and pages are two very different formats. Posts Posts are content-based entries that are displayed in chronological order (most recent appearing on top) on either the blog's home page by default. When you publish a new post, it will appear at the top of your home page, either in its entirety or as an excerpt (varies ...
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5 Easy Ways To Uncover New Blog Topic Ideas

Still struggling to come up with new topic ideas for your blog? We all know the importance of publishing fresh content on a regular basis. It encourages search engines and visitors to return to your site, which often boosts your search ranking. Of course, this is easier said than done, especially in some of the more narrow niches. If this sounds like a familiar problem, check out some of the following ways to identify new topics. #1 – Search Forums When you are stuck and can't seem to think of any topics for your website, try searching through forums related to your niche. This is an excelle...
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Things To Consider Before Starting Your First Blog

Congratulations on your decision to start a blog. It's a fun and rewarding way to share your thoughts while laying the roots for a successful, long-lasting business. However, there are a few things you should consider before launching your blog. Content Management System One of the first things you should do when planning a new blog is to choose a content management system (CMS). As the name suggests, a CMS is designed to streamline the creation and management of a website's content. You can technically create a fully functional blog using nothing more than Notepad, but this is a tedious and...
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How To Make You Blog Post Go Viral

While the exact number remains unknown, some marketing experts estimate there to be more than 150 million blogs currently online. Whether you're searching for information on pets, health, fashion, sports, celebrity/pop culture, or practically anything else, there's probably a blog covering it. But with such heated competition, it's difficult for the "little guys" to make a name for themselves, which is where viral content comes into play. If you're able to create a viral blog post, you'll receive tons of new visitors while drawing the attention of search engines. What Is a Viral Blog Post? L...
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Where To Find Images For Your Blog

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As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, holds true when blogging. Adding relevant images to your blog posts will encourage a higher level of visitor engagement, which in turn translates into a better blog. Due to international copyright laws, though, you can't simply copy and paste any image you come across. To legally use an image on your website, you must download it from a source that grants such permissions. Flickr Creative Commons Arguably, one of the best source of free-to-use images is Flickr Creative Commons. With over 20 million images and counting, you can find pic...
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Should I Allow Visitors to Comment on My Blog?

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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

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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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Blogging

If you're thinking about starting a blog, you probably have some questions you want answered first. In an effort to demystify the process, we're going to reveal some frequently asked questions and answers about blogging. What Do I Need To Start Blogging? Blogging is actually easier than most people realize. All you need is a computer with an active Internet connection and the will to succeed. Hosted content management solutions (CMS) like WordPress.com and Blogger eliminate the need for a dedicated domain name and web host. Just sign up for an account and create your own blog! Can I Make Mo...
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