It’s not a secret that we are huge Wordpress secrets for blogging, especially since we have been offerring SEO blog templates for Wordpress for years.  If you are an expert you already know that Wordpress has Meta tags and other built in amazing tools for SEO.  You know that Wordpress.org offers the MU (Multi-User), and the blogging software for FREE.  Which always catapults the most feature rich blogging tool in to being #1.

So Why is Wordpress.com the best blogging platform?  Because it helps you setup a blog on your own domain for custom hosting within minutes and only $15/year (yes that is a year), DID WE MENTION INCLUDING THE DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATION? YES, THAT IS TRUE.

Some of us are not technical, and so the fact that Wordpress.com hosts our free blogs is great, but we really want to be professional and blogging on our own domain allows us all to do that.  So the fact that it is super easy is another best feature.  Folks, I tried and spent hours on TypePad the (self proclaimed professional blog), it stinks.  I was willing to pay the $149/year (thank god they did not charge my credit card), but it was too rigid, templates were not professional enough, and the SEO was weak.  I expected so much more, but I would have just settled for an easy interface, but they simply made things hard for me to navigate.  Also TYPEPAD fees are non-refundable, so DO NOT BUY or Pay full in advance they do not prorate your monthly payments.  After the 14 day trial, you are literally hosed, stuck with their weaker blogging system.

Blogger and Blogspot are easy and Ok, they also allow domain hosting, for free I think.  Blogger blogging platform, is owned by Google, so it’s not that bad, nothing Google does is bad.  It simply does not have the features and customization that Wordpress.com blogging has.

Anyway, It’s taken me a few days to blog about this topic as I have been busy blogging about my wife’s book Mommy’s Little Money$Maker, an Inspiration Guide for Mom’s to start a business or earn a part time income.  Check it out at MomBite.com, she has been blogging their every day.  She plans to provide a daily MomBite, a featured business owned and started by a Mom that can help to inspire other Mom’s.  Enjoy and don’t be afraid to pass it on to other Mom’s.  Thanks!

This is a great debate that started for me well before we started MyTypes.com blogging platform. If you don’t have a business, do you still need a website? Does a website address have to make it a website there? What is a website, and how is that different than a blog? Is a blog just a journal or can a blog website actually replace your website?

My answer is simple, yes, yes, and yes.

A blog is no longer just a journal, and a blog website is what you want. We recommend that you get a Wordpress blog website on any URL that you choose. Well, and if you don’t need to waste your money on a URL, for non business reasons, don’t waste it. Get the blog website on MyTypes.com/”your name here” or on “yourname”.wordpress.com or “yourname”.blogspot.com. Why am I recommending our competitors here? Because they are the best, options and we are really here trying to help you.

So every website in the future should have a blogging system built in it, or every blog should have all the features a website should have. Every website should have the ability to build community and make the content easy to upload and add. Every business website, needs to do that. And, every business blog and blogging platform should be customizable to your brand.

Most importantly, every blog and website should be able to promote your content to your audience. And the content either business or not, for a non-profit cause, should be search engine optimized (SEO). Tomorrow’s topic will be Design, the most important aspect of your blog or website, where beauty meets ease of use.

**I am coming back to edit and re-read this post as I do this time to time with our blogs.  I wanted to add for people’s perspectives, that blogs will continue to be better for promoting your business as they will rank higher in the search engines.  This shift 7 months after the original post of this blog, I think blogs are starting to replace people’s websites, especially the wordpress blogging platform.  Also now that we are providing SEO services to our clients such as CRM and CRM Software, silver jewelry, and generally doing more SEO, we believe that all businesses should have blogs.

I have a confession to make, I don’t do photos as much as I would like. I love photos and blogs, and actually photography has been one of my favorite hobbies. Now with 2 kids, a mortgage, a few high tech ePeople to manage, who has time? I have been coaching and evangelizing blogging for a long time, but until last week I did not add photos to my blogs. That was a mistake, I want to help you avoid.

I think it’s important to write about photo blogging, and everything we can share to help us make our blogs more impactful. The problem, I use to believe was, well, I don’t really have a lot of photos, do you? Most people don’t know how they can use photos for their blogs. The biggest news I can tell you, Yes you can, and it’s easy.

Yes, you can Jazz up your blog with a photo or two. Here are some tips on jazzing up your blogs with Photos. I usually add at least 3 photos per blog now days, but back when I first wrote this blog, I only used one.

1. Do any Google search on “Free Photos” and you will find many small to big photo sites providing amazing photos you will love. My favorite is Sxc.hu, but Flickr is not bad as you have to ask individual permission, but just love the name, what can I say.

2. Every time you blog, spend at least 5-10 minutes looking and finding the best photo for your topic, make it a unique photo and beautiful.

3. Give credit where it’s due. Always give the website and the photographer if you can, credit by mentioning their name. Do it with your name of the photo saved as for example the photo above, has the website name in. I did that for them, they didn’t require it.
4. Be contextual, pick your photo on the blog topic. This will help with the search result and Google search marketing, and SEO. Be as descriptive as you can, but don’t over do it. Yes, that will actually have a positive effect and get your website ranked higher in the search engines too.

5. Use an Alt Tag, on every photo even your blog every time. But, What is it you say? You are right, that could be another post on it’s own. An Alt-tag describes the image for search engines so they can index it. It’s the same for a video blog too. Alt-tags use to be a big craze a few years ago for better search rankings, and SEO. Here is a few don’ts: Don’t stuff keywords, don’t upload huge files, don’t place weird or strange photos. Make them beautiful, as we are professional bloggers here:-0)>

I believe that photo and video blog sharing along with blogging are some of the top reasons for the success of the Internet. The Web 2.0 social networking world is full of blogs with colors, photos, videos, empowering the human network. Go blog your way to the top!

Many people have realized the value and potential benefits of blogging, but they struggle when it’s time to actually write their posts and create their content. After all, it’s tough to maintain a blog and post interesting things day in and day out. However, the web is full of ideas and ways to set your creative capabilities on fire.

One way to generate new ideas and give life to old ones is use the social bookmarking and tagging sites to find new perspectives in your niche.  Digg, del.icio.us, stumble upon, flickr, youtube, and other sites all have tons of user-submitted content, organized by tags.  This system is referred to as a “folksonomy” - the practice and method of collective collaboration using freely chosen keywords known as “tags”.  Users tag content with descriptive phrases and terms in order to share it more effectively with people who are interested in the same topics.

It’s important to see what others in your niche are talking about, and one way to find this out is to see what’s been tagged with your keywords on the various social media sites.  You may be wondering, however, does this translate into posts on your blog? Here are five things you can do with knowledge gleaned from the social media.

1.  Write a response to another blogger. Did you disagree with what they said?  Want to add to their thoughts and bring a new point of view into the conversation?  Use your blog to share your insights, and be sure to link to the inspiring post so the original blogger is aware of you (one caveat - keep your criticism constructive and respective - flame wars have no place on a business blog).

2.  Create a round-up of interesting links.  Did you discover all sorts of all cool sites and articles?  Chances are your readers might be interested in them too, so why not post them on your blog? Don’t forget to write a sentence or two about each link so they know what they are clicking on.

3.Compliment another blogger.  Come across another blogger or website that is simply amazing?  Write a post about why they are so incredible and if it applies, use them as an example of a blogging success.   Maybe even interview them and tell your readers their story.

4.Share what you’ve learned.  Find an informative article or how-to that you really learned something from?  Elaborate on that for your audience.  Bonus points if you can post pictures or your own experience of following the original article’s advice.

5.  Post a funny, creative, or intriguing video.  When you’re simply at a loss for blogging words, youtube, vimeo, and other video sites can be your saviors.   After all, if a picture’s worth a thousand words, a video has got to be worth at least a million.

What do you do when you suffer from blogger’s block?

For many bloggers, one of the reasons they blog is because they’re passionate about something and they want to share it with the world. They want to make an impact on their readers’ lives

Passionate writing leaps off the screen and into the hearts of your readers. Writing without passion is like a plain hamburger - yes, it’ll silence those hunger pangs, but once you add your favorite toppings, your basic burger turns into much more satisfying meal. Think of passion as your writing’s secret sauce that turns a serviceable post into something memorable (and linkable).

I’ve found that many bloggers worry about disagreeing with established authorities, offending someone, or simply being incorrect. However, I’ve found that worrying about being wrong tends to paralyze people - and when it comes to blogging, nothing is worse than inaction. Don’t be afraid to generate some fireworks.

First of all, if you’re going to write something controversial, make sure that your post is very well-thought-out and that you’re prepared for a debate. Be able to back up your opinions with facts and solid reasoning, and be ready for potential fallout - use logic to deal with dissenters. Passion backed up by logic is one of the best ways to really make your blog stand out.

If you think that something should be changed, or you disagree with a popular viewpoint, explain your beliefs. Tell your readers why you feel the way you do. On the flip side, your ideas may not be as controversial as you thought, and your passion could garner you even more loyal readers.

There’s much more to gain from showing your passion and pushing boundaries than there is to lose. Questioning authority, challenging popular views, and asserting your opinions in a logical manner tends to be rewarded in the blogosphere. After all, passion is what stirs people’s emotions and generates discussion, and besides, fortune favors the bold.

Last but not least, writing with passion means showing your readers the real you, and isn’t that at least part of the reason why you’re blogging?

*It’s important to remember that you should never accuse anyone of anything in your blog with iron-clad proof - obviously, libel, slander, and defamation have no part in smart business blog. Depending on your niche and community, I’d also recommend avoiding any particularly polarizing political or religious views as well.

Are you worried about differentiating yourself from the millions of other blogs out there? After all, one could view the blogosphere as a massive haystack with a few valuable, glittering needles hidden inside it - the blogs with valuable content. The search engines help people discover the needles, but it’s up to the individual bloggers to get them to use the needles to sew and make something great (okay, I definitely stretched the limits of that metaphor).

One of the best ways to be sticky is to create a site that is a feast for the senses - an elegant design and bold images for the eyes, interesting videos and podcasts for the ears, and luscious language that paints a picture in your readers’ minds. Be creative with your word selection and try to choose the most precise, accurate terms to express your ideas.

First of all, a thesaurus is your friend, whether you rely on an printed and bound book or you use websites like Thesaurus.com. Thesauri are especially valuable when you notice that you’ve been using the same words too many times and as a result, your writing is flat, boring, and/or redundant. A quick trip to the thesaurus to find alternative options can liven things up in no time, and you might discover new terms that work even better than your go-to phrases.

You don’t have to neglect SEO and your keywords to writing appealing posts, either. First of all, it’s important to integrate a significant variety of keywords into your posts - using only two or three constantly is a dead giveaway that it’s SEO copy and many people will click away (and it doesn’t matter how much traffic SEO sends your way if they leave within a second or two). After all, don’t you want people to stick around, so you get multiple pageviews, interesting comments, and incoming links?

Another way to inspire your writing is to keep a folder or set of bookmarks filled with quality writing by people you admire. You can pull it out when you’re feeling unmotivated to get your creative juices flowing. Personally, I use del.icio.us for this - I have tags for “inspiration” and “writing” and “creativity” and more in my account. Social media is for more than just connecting people - you can use it to organize your ideas, sources, and inspirations.

Last but not least, it’s important to remember that the number one way to become a skilled writer is to practice, practice, practive, and then practice some more. If you’re serious about improving your work, it’s important to write something everyday, even if it’s just a short paragraph or two, and to read the work of other writers - you never know where you’ll pick up a new technique or interesting insight.  Remember no matter how much you SEO, search marketing is still about writing great content.

Taking the first step is hard, whether you’re launching a business or writing a post. You may have tons of good ideas that you’re eager to share, but it’s tough to decide where to begin. So what’s a blogger to do?

Here’s a hint: write your introduction last.

Think about it - by the time you’ve written everything down and organized your thoughts, you’ll have a very good idea of where your post is going - after all, it’s almost done!  You might also come up with an excellent idea for an opener while you’re writing, plus you’ll have a better understanding of your piece should be introduced - have you ever written something that’s gotten totally derailed, and the conclusion and introduction say completely different things?  It happens to the best of us.   However, by writing your first paragraph last, you’re preventing this problem and ensuring that you’ll end up with a more cohesive, coherent post.

We all know that the headline (your title) and the opening paragraph (in publishing it’s called the lede) are some of the most important things to consider when you’re composing your posts.  Of course, these things are also some of the most difficult things to write well (related: North x East has an excellent list of 10 Ways to Write a Great Lead for a Blog Post), so it does pay to devote extra time to your intros.

Just make that extra effort at the end of your post composition time, not the beginning.  You may be pleasantly surprised at how productive you become.

Yesterday I talked about the importance of using the correct spelling, grammar, and puncuation in your posts, because it seemed logical to start a series on writing with the basics, and because words are the backbone and the heart of your blog.   Now it’s time to discuss how you can use those words to make a powerful impression.

One of things that makes writing compelling is the active voice. Using the active voice is attention-grabbing and usually results in clearer, more direct prose than the passive voice. You should use the active voice when you’re telling a story and you want to draw the reader in.  Here’s an example of each voice:

In a sentence written in the active voice, the subject acts:

The smart business blogger wrote an excellent post.

In a sentence written in the passive voice, the subject is acted upon:

The excellent post was written by the smart business blogger.

Although writing in the passive voice is not necessarily wrong or always a bad idea, using it all the time can lead to flat, uninteresting writing or awkward sentence construction.  The passive voice is a good call, however, when you’re writing about observations or research and you want to maintain objectivity- academic and scientific writing is typically done in the passive voice.  Also, sometimes it’s just the best way to convey your intended meaning (check out this article from Essay, I Say for more advice on when to go with the passive voice).

That said, there’s no denying the fact that the active voice is more compelling.  It’s clearer, more comprehensible, and less wordy, and when it comes to blogging, simplicity and brevity are key.  Don’t believe me? Take a look at some of your favorite bloggers - I’ll bet they use the active voice more often than not.

The ability to write well and communicate in a clear, precise manner are necessary skills for anyone who wishes to create a compelling blog. After all, email, blog posts, or other forms of written communication are essential to doing business and interacting on the web, so you need to make sure that your words stand out from the rest (in a good way).

The purpose of this series is help bloggers of all kinds make an impact with their words.  Quality writing is particularly important when you’re blogging to promote yourself or your business, because your blog is your introduction, your opening statement, and your business card, resume, and other credentials all rolled into one.

I’ll start with spelling grammar, and punctuation, because those are the building blocks of language, and therefore your blog. Some people argue that these things don’t matter at all because the web is an informal medium, but these people are wrong. Proper grammar and spelling are like clothing - yes, you can wear a ratty t-shirt and sweats everywhere, but you won’t get the respect you would in a nicely tailored jacket.  It’s a fact that people judge others by their appearances, and on the net, your words form a major part of your appearance. You wouldn’t wear a wrinkled shirt to an important meeting, would you? Edit and spell-check your posts, and if you’re unsure of something, look it up.

Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com are excellent starting points if you have spelling or usage questions (it’s also a good idea to look up your keywords in a thesaurus in order to find alternate terms and phrases searchers may use in their queries). Of course, if you are using more academic or technical terms, you’ll need to find a more niche-specific resource.  Also, don’t overlook the basics: try googling your grammar questions, or search the Grammar Rules: The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation (a very comprehensive site on English grammar, including an excellent blog).

Of course, blogging is more conversational than other forms of business communication, so you don’t necessarily need to obey the rules to the letter. Things like one sentence paragraphs, using “and” as the first word of a sentence or ending one with a preposition are all acceptable in the name of style.  However, it’s absolutely essential to know the rules before you can break them properly, and it’s just as necessary to be aware that there are few conventions that you just can’t disregard (correct usage of there, they’re, and their, for instance).  The Copyblogger has two excellent posts on grammar and spelling rules that you just can’t break without appearing stupid.

Yes, carefully proofreading your posts may take a little longer, but when you’re using your blog as a promotional tool, it’s worth it to make sure your message is being read clearly and correctly.  It’s also important to remember that we all make mistakes (hey, that’s what the “edit” button is for), but there is no excuse for sloppiness and lazy writing.  Your readers are your most valuable asset and they deserve the best blog you can possible create.

After all, only your reputation is at stake.

You don’t have to write a book every time you post.  Sometimes, a mere paragraph will do, provided it packs a real punch.  After all, your readers are busy people and if you constantly post long articles, they might not make the time to keep up with your blog.  Writing short, impactful posts is also a good attention-grabbing technique.  Remember, most slogans, sound bites, and other catchy messages are quick and to the point.  

Use the active voice and powerful, direct language.   Before you hit publish, scan your posts and remove anything that doesn’t move the post along or add to the message.  Yes, it is more difficult to compose tightly edited posts, but this sort of content is some of the most compelling.  Put in more work, and you’ll reap greater rewards.

When it comes to writing with brevity, Strunk & White’s Elements of Style says it best:

Omit needless words.

Ask yourself “is this necessary to get my point across?” while you are editing.  Are your words aiding the action or getting the reader stuck in the mud?  Need help discerning the wheat from the chaff?  Next week, I’ll be posting a series of articles on the basic writing skills and techniques that all bloggers need to know, so bookmark, subscribe, or come back on Monday for a discussion about the core of blogging: writing.