How to Create a Blog - Blog Platforms

A blog is a type of website, so creating one will involve some form of web design. Thankfully there are standalone and online blog building software that makes everything easy. These software that simplifies the building of blogs are called blog platforms. You do not have to create a blog from scratch, all you need is to choose a blog platform that meets your unique needs and build your blog with it.

What are Blog Platforms


Blog platforms are software that enable a blogger easily build and manage a blog. They enable you create a blog and also makes writing and editing on your blog very easy. To create a blog with a blog platform, you do not need to know lots about web design technologies like HTML and CSS, though a little knowledge will help.

Blog platforms offer templates that you can easily customise to create a unique look and feel for your blog. While some offer a simple drag and drop or WYSIWYG interface, others will require that you have some knowledge of coding to use them. What all blog platforms will help you do easily is to write, format, and edit your posts, as well as add photos and videos.

What is your Blog Platform Choice


There are many blog platforms, but I will narrow down your choice to two Wordpress and Blogger. Of course, there are others like TypePad and Movable Type, however Blogger and Wordpress are the most popular blog platforms. When choosing a blog platform, you have two choices hosted/online blog platform or a standalone blog platform.

Hosted/Online blog platforms are hosted online. They are a lot easier to use. Using them is as simple as using any other online service like your email or Facebook. They are designed for simplicity and require no knowledge of web technologies. With hosted blog platforms, you do not need to worry about hosting as your blog is hosted free once created.

Hosted blog platforms also offer a free subdomain name, although with a little fee you can use your own domain name for your blog. The only complaint that some bloggers have on hosted blog platforms is that they are less customisable. Hence, bloggers who are customisation freaks often go for standalone blog platforms.

To use a standalone blog platform, you must have a web hosting account, which you will have to pay for. You also need to buy a domain name. You can download the blog platform and install it on the server of your host. However, most hosting services already have blog platforms on their sites all you need is install them. Most of these hosting services provide an easy one click installation for blog platforms.

Setting up and customising a standalone blog platform takes a lot of work and require some knowledge of web technologies, but is worth the effort, because of the flexibility and control they offer. Standalone blog platforms give you more control to customise your blog.

So hosted/online blog platforms offer simplicity and ease of use, but with some limitation on blog customisation, while standalone blog platforms offer limitless possibilities, with some complexities. So, make your choice and create a blog.

Blogger is a hosted/online blog platform while Wordpress is available in hosted/online and standalone blog platform variants.

Related topics

Labels: ,

Traffic & Reputation: a Mountain to Climb for Blogs

Blogging is easy and fun, making money from a blog is also easy. The hard part is building your reputation and traffic. Building your reputation online and building traffic to your blog is the obstacle standing between you and your blogging fame and fortune.

Despite this obvious challenge, most blogging books in the market hype the money making part without showing you how to navigate the challenges. Blogging for Students will do just that. It will show you how to blog successfully and offer techniques for building your traffic and reputation online.

The same techniques that has enabled me gain over 400,000 monthly page views on my blog Nigeria Technology Guide, and over 30,000 Facebook fans, and over 5,000 Twitter followers on its fan pages. The same techniques that has enabled me build a network of online properties that are now nearing 700,000 monthly page views. The very same techniques I will use to increase my online clout in 2012.

The Book is no longer available

Blogging for Students is available for just N1,500. However, if you order the ebook through this blog using the discount code NOM, you will buy it for just N1,300 (over 13% discount). To order the e-book Blogging for Students with the discount code pay N1,300 only to the account provided below and send the discount code with payment details to me. Once I see the discount code, I will know you are qualified for discount.

The ebook is no-longer available for sale

Paschal Okafor
www.naijatechguide.com
Google Plus
www.facebook.com/passyjango
www.twitter.com/passyjango
LinkedIn

Labels: ,

Blogging for Students: Bonus Package

This ebook is no-longer available for sale.

As a bonus when you buy the ebook blogging for students, you get the following:

VIP membership at the forum: No book on blogging will cover everything. Once you buy this book you qualify for VIP membership at my tech forum at naijatechforum.com. There you can ask any questions about blogging and seek advice or clarifications as you go in this your blogging journey. As a VIP I will personally answer your questions and ASAP too. Once you buy the e-book register with the forum and send me your username via email, I will make you a VIP member.

SEO Best practices: although a few of these techniques where covered in the book, I have decided to create a sort of SEO cheat sheet that puts every SEO requirement together to enable you easily ensure your blog is compliant.

Blogging Timetable: As a student, I figured you will need a timetable. This timetable contains daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. This will help you manage your time.

over 50 less competitive niches but potentially profitable: In Nigeria because of the hype surrounding blogging, everyone is crowding the perceived profitable niches like jobs and tech. This is because they see some successful bloggers making money from such niches. But just because another blogger is successful in a niche does not mean you will also be successful.

This over 50 niches list will help you device a niche you can make a name for yourself blogging before the copycats and spoilers wake-up from their slumber.

Conditional Bonus: There is also a final bonus, but this is conditional. I will personally promote the first ten blogs that I like from bloggers that bought this book on this blog using the discount code provided. The promotion includes a free review on my popular blog the Nigeria Technology Guide, which gets over 400,000 monthly page views.

The free review will also be promoted via Nigeria Tech Guide fan pages on Facebook (over 30,000 fans), Twitter (over 5,000 followers), and the tech forum. This promotion is worth thousands of Naira, but you will get it free if you buy this book and come up with an inspirational blog.

Note, it is not the first 10 to buy the book, it is also not the first 10 to submit to me. It is the first 10 blogs submitted to me that I like. The blog must also not be in existence as at the time you bought the book and must draw from ideas in the book. (So that is your student project). The blogger must also build content on the blog for at least 6 weeks before sending their links to me.

Blogging for Students is available for just N1,500. However, if you order the ebook through this blog using the discount code NOM, you will buy it for just N1,300 (over 13% discount). To order the e-book Blogging for Students with the discount code pay N1,300 only to the account provided below and send the discount code with payment details to me. Once I see the discount code, I will know you are qualified for discount.


Your Name
email address
Or any proof of payment


Once I confirm your payment, I will send you the e-book to your email address within 24 hour. Pay before 1pm, get it before 4pm same day.

Paschal Okafor
www.naijatechguide.com
Google Plus
www.facebook.com/passyjango
www.twitter.com/passyjango
LinkedIn

Labels: ,

Who Should Buy Blogging for Students

Blogging for student is for individuals with different levels of blogging experience. From the absolute beginner to up and coming bloggers. For some it is a good introductory book on building successful blogs, to others it is a good reference book on blogging.

This ebook is no-longer available for sale.

Blogging for Students is written specifically for the following category of individuals:
  • Absolute beginners to blogging, who may or may not have heard of blogging, but want to learn the ropes of blogging from someone who actually blogs
  • The struggling blogger, who jumped into blogging because of the hype and is now about to drown in the waters of blogging disappointment. Do not give-up until you have read this book. It might just be the lifebuoy you desperately need.
  • Upcoming bloggers who need new ideas to recharge their blogging
  • Business owners, Marketers, PR People, who are looking for an effective tool for promoting their products and services online
This e-book is not for people who consider themselves experts in Blogging.


What you get from Blogging for Students


Blogging for Students is divided into six chapters packed with information to put you on the right path for blogging success.

1) Introduction: This chapter introduces you to blogging and reveals the secret of making money from blogging, yes the secret is out. It also runs down the tools you need as a blogger.

2) Choosing a niche: Niche blogging is a successful technique for building your reputation faster and distinguishing yourself online. This chapter will show you the benefits and niche blogging and show you how you can choose niches that are right for you and yet profitable. A lot of bloggers in Nigeria go into saturated niches like jobs or copying and pasting news, this chapter will discourage you into going for such wild goose chase and if you insist it will show the best technique for entering a saturated niche.

3) How to setup your blog: This chapter will go into how to create your blog from choosing a blog platform and name for your blog to customising your template. All examples on blog customisation will focus on the free blog platform Blogger.

4) How to write your blog post: This chapter will teach you how to write successful blog posts that will drive traffic to your website. SEO best practices are covered.

5) Promoting your blog: This is where you learn how to promote your blog. This chapter may be considered as the heart of the book as this is where you actually get the different techniques for building your traffic and your online reputation.

6) How to make money from your blog: this chapter reveals the different blog monetisation methods, the so called direct and indirect methods. I consider this the least important part of the book. Because I believe that once you have a successful blog you can figure out how to leverage its success. It comes natural.

Blogging for students also includes a bonus SEO cheat-sheet with best practices that will make your blog rank well on search engines for valuable search traffic. Another bonus included is a list of over 50 ignored blog niches that you can make a name for yourself blogging before the copycats and spoilers wake-up from their slumber.


Blogging for Students is available for just N1,500. However, if you order the ebook through this blog using the discount code NOM, you will buy it for just N1,300 (over 13% discount). To order the e-book Blogging for Students with the discount code pay N1,300 only to the account provided below and send the discount code with payment details to me. Once I see the discount code, I will know you are qualified for discount.

Your Name
email address
Or any proof of payment


Once I confirm your payment, I will send you the e-book to your email address within 24 hour. Pay before 1pm, get it before 4pm same day.

Paschal Okafor
www.naijatechguide.com
Google Plus
www.facebook.com/passyjango
www.twitter.com/passyjango
LinkedIn

Labels: , ,

Blogging for Students: How to Blog Build Reputation & Traffic & Make Money

Do you want to make money on the internet sharing your knowledge and insight? Do you want to develop an online voice that will bring you recognition and fame? Are you ready to learn how? My new e-book Blogging for Students will teach you how to blog, build your reputation and traffic, and how to make money from your reputation and traffic.
This ebook is no-longer available for sale.
Blogging for Students e-book cover

Blogging for Students is available for just N1,500. However, if you order the ebook through this blog using the discount code NOM, you will buy it for just N1,300 (over 13% discount). To order the e-book Blogging for Students with the discount code pay N1,300 only to the account provided below and send the discount code with payment details to me. Once I see the discount code, I will know you are qualified for discount.
Your Name
email address
Or any proof of payment


Once I confirm your payment, I will send you the e-book to your email address within 24 hour. Pay before 1pm, get it before 4pm same day.


Why Blogging for Students


The name may be misunderstood to mean that the book is for students. Not exactly, it is for anyone who wants to learn how to blog successfully. In order words, the student blogger. However, the book will be great for students who are smart enough to be considering potential income opportunities after graduations.

Blogging for students will explain what blogs are and what they are used for. You will also learn how to choose topics to blog about and setup your blog on a free blog platform. How to write quality blog posts and build traffic and reputation using search engines and social media sites.

Blogging for student also includes a bonus SEO cheat-sheet with best practices that will make your blog rank well on search engines for valuable search traffic. Another bonus included is a list of over 50 ignored blog niches that you can make a name for yourself blogging before the copycats and spoilers wake-up from their slumber.

Paschal Okafor
www.naijatechguide.com
Google Plus
www.facebook.com/passyjango
www.twitter.com/passyjango
LinkedIn

Labels: , ,

Converting Low Bounce Rate on Blogs & Websites

Low bounce rate is desired by most bloggers and web publishers. This is because it is used to measure the engagement of a blog or website. But, do not forget why you want an engaging website or blog in the first place. Blog engagement is a journey, not a destination. The aim of an engaging blog or website is to convert visitors into customers.

Every Click should count


Bounce rate is lowered by reducing the number of visitors that leave your blog without viewing another page. However, the additional page they view should count. Claiming low bounce rates with page views that bring no value to your blog or website is meaningless. In fact, it is better they bounce than incur additional cost in server time for you.

Placing meaningless links on a blog just to gain low bounce rate is not useful. Links should be added in such a way that when clicked they bring you closer to converting the visitor. To do that the link should answer likely questions generated by the referring page.

Creating content that converts


To make additional page views on your website useful, they need to be related to the referring page and offer additional information about its content. For example, an article or blog post about a product could include links to specs and reviews of the product as well as link to a shopping cart.

Your contact details and information about your social network presence should also be prominently positioned so that if the visitor does not convert now, you can still convert him later through your social media campaigns.

The point of these series of articles on bounce rate is to remind you of the bigger picture. As a blogger or web publisher you should not focus so much on signals, but understand why they exist. Bounce rate exists to help you measure the engagement of you blog or website, but the ultimate goal is to drive-up conversion.

The reason you want visitors to stay longer on your blog or website is to convert them and not just to reduce bounce rate. Low bounce rate is of no value without conversion. Focus your bounce rate reduction campaigns to making pages that will lead to conversion more accessible.

Related Topics

Labels: , ,