Why It Is So Important To Choose The Right Software For Your Blog
There is a school of thought in internet marketing that would have you believe that blogging is in decline. Although there are "zillions" of blogs out there in the "blogosphere", nothing could be further from the truth. However, when you decide to set up a blog it is imperative that you use the right software. The main influence on your decision if you want to make money should be the fact that Google loves blogs created using WordPress. However as in all things in life, nothing is free. It is true that WordPress is a free software package and there are many excellent themes and plug ins which are also free.
But you do need to buy your own domain name and have it hosted by one of the many hosting services such as HostGator or DreamHost. A domain name can be registered for very little money but be sure to pick one that represents the business you are promoting. You should also try to ensure as much as possible that the blog's domain name is a keyword phrase that is commercial, yet has as little competition as possible. In order to do this use Google's keyword tool or a package such as Wordtracker. You will often find however that the "best" keyword phrases have already been purchased. Don't let this worry you unduly as keyword phrases can just as easily be represented with hyphens. So a domain name such as luxurydogbeds.com which could quite easily be already taken, could just as easily be luxury-dog-beds.com and this will not make the slightest difference to the search engine rankings.
Once you have purchased the domain name and have it hosted you now "own" the blog and the content. This is not the case of course if you use a "free" service such as blogger. The majority of hosting sites enable you to upload WordPress quickly and easily and the uploading and installing of the aforementioned themes and plug ins can be done quite easily. If you experience any problems then just do a quick search on YouTube under the title "How do I do x (whatever you wish to find out)
Something that is important to understand and that many people do not appreciate is that your WordPress blog can include an opt in page to an autoresponder that enables you to capture potential clients email addresses and names to enable you to build up a permission based email marketing list. Another important factor to consider is that in setting up a well designed and professional looking blog using WordPress you are setting a standard. Other bloggers will look on this favourably when you approach them to see if they will allow you to guest post on their blog and so build up precious backlinks to your own blog and therefore improve your chances of higher search engine rankings.
Peter Robson is an accountant with over 30 years experience in the small company sector. With his business partner, Debbie Crossley he runs http://www.yournichebusiness.co.uk/ which helps people set up and run their own e-commerce businesses.
Category Article Choose, Important, Right, Software
