5 Reasons to Blog with WordPress

Posted on August 27, 2015September 5, 2015 by sitemanager

Thinking about launching a new blog? One of the first steps in blogging is to choose your content management system (CMS). From Blogger and Tumblr to WordPress and Joomla, there are dozens of possibilities available. However, WordPress remains the world's most popular blogging software. Here are some of the reasons why: It's Free Did I mention WordPress is completely free to download and use? Whether you choose the hosted or self-hosted version, you can launch a WordPress blog for virtually nothing. Granted, there are some premium themes and templates for sale, but these are optional and not...

5 Blogging Trends to Watch

Posted on August 24, 2015August 30, 2015 by sitemanager

Blogging is a dynamic industry that changes from year to year. What's popular and trending one year may be gone the next. This is why it's important for bloggers to familiarize themselves with the latest trends. 1) Video It should come as little-to-no surprise that video is gaining grounds in the blogging industry. Bloggers can diversify their content while creating a more attractive blog by adding videos to it. In the past, slow Internet speeds and sub-par computer hardware restricted users' ability to watch videos. But this isn't an issue now, as Internet users can enjoy seamless videos wi...

Tips for Better Business Blogging

Posted on August 19, 2015August 24, 2015 by sitemanager

Still struggling to generate a following for your business's blog? Being that blogs are more personal in nature than a typical website, many business owners fail to attract a sizable audience with their blog. If this sounds like a familiar scenario, keep reading for some helpful tips. Commit to a Posting Schedule One of the most common blogging mistakes made by small business owners is failing to publish new content on a regular basis. They may initially publish a new post every other day, but as time goes on, they begin to slack off. Rather than publishing every other day, perhaps they'll p...

Should I Blog on a Dedicated Domain or Subdomain?

Posted on August 15, 2015August 22, 2015 by sitemanager

This is a question many first-time -- and even some seasoned -- bloggers ask. Some believe dedicated domains are better suited for blogs, simply because they provide greater freedom and accessibility, whereas others prefer subdomains. If you can't decide between the two, keep reading for a break-down of the pros and cons associated with dedicated domains and subdomains for blogs. Dedicated Domains vs Subdomains: What's The Difference? Let's first go over the basics of dedicated and subdomains, as this a topic that confuses many people. A dedicated domain is exactly what it sounds like: a sta...

How to Prevent Blogger Burnout

Posted on August 15, 2015August 22, 2015 by sitemanager

Burnout is something that everyone will experience, regardless of occupation. You focus all of your energy and attention on a single project, staying up into the late night hours working on it. Over time, the stress and pressure pile up to create the feeling of being "burned out." As a blogger, you should take steps to avoid this phenomenon, because if left unchecked, it can have disastrous consequences on your ability to produce work and maintain a successful blog. Schedule Posts Ahead of Time Nearly all of the major blogging platforms, including WordPress, have a scheduling feature that al...

What Is Microblogging?

Posted on July 30, 2015August 2, 2015 by sitemanager

Screenshot of social media and Twitter handles

Microblogging has become increasingly popular over the past few years, with millions of people using it for both personal and commercial purposes. But what exactly is microblogging? And does it offer any real benefits over traditional blogging? These are just a few of the many questions that we're going to tackle today. The Origins of Microblogging According to Wikipedia, political writer and blogger Jonathan Gillette (AKA why the lucky stiff) coined the term "microblogging" when describing Christian Neukirchen's Anarchaia.org online activities. Gillette said blogging had "mutated into simpl...

WordPress Plugins to Reduce Your Blog’s Load Times

Posted on July 25, 2015July 26, 2015 by sitemanager

How long does it take visitors to load your blog? Load times play an important role in the usability and overall function of a blog. If visitors are forced to stare at a loading screen for a long time, some will click their browser back button. Thankfully, WordPress has a massive directory of plugins, many of which can be used to reduce a blog's load times. W3 Total Cache Arguably, one of the most effective ways to reduce a blog's load time is to enable browser caching. Rather than forcing visitors to reload the same files each time they visit your site, browser caching will automatically st...

I Want to Start a Blog. What Now?

Posted on July 10, 2015July 14, 2015 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...

5 Dirty Truths About Blogging

Posted on July 8, 2015July 10, 2015 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...

Choosing a Niche For Your Blog

Posted on June 29, 2015June 29, 2015 by sitemanager

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...

how to blog