Online Business Questions Revealed

Archive for the ‘All About Blogs’ Category

It seems that a lot people are confused on just what blog plug ins are and how to install them properly.

What are blog plugins and why do I need one?

A plug in, is a download you can get for free at many different places on the Internet. Depending on what you are trying to do will depend on what blog plug in you get. There are many different ones for different functions, and most bloggers will tell you what they use but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to have it.

There are a few plug ins that are a MUST to have if you want your blog to function correctly and get recognized by the search engines with each post.

Here are just a few that I hear over and over again that are a Must to have:

All-In-One-SEO – this allows you to set the title of your post for search engines, assign a brief description of your post, and add your own keywords, these can be different from your original post so your title and description are search engine friendly.

Google XML Sitemap – this one will create a special sitemap for Google, it does not show up on your blog, it is a behind the scene plug in.

MaxBlogPress Ping Optimizer – with this plug in you don’t have to worry about notifying other places when you make a post. It will also allow you to make changes to a post without notifying other places that all you did was an update. If your posts get pinged too often it can be considered spam

WordPress Database Backup – this is a Must Have plugin it will backup your complete blog and you can either have it saved to your computer and/or sent to your email address. You can set a schedule to have your blog backed up one a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule.

Subscribe Me – this plugin will put a bookmark button at the end of your posts to make it easier for your visitors to bookmark your blog

Now like I mentioned, every blogger will tell you the plugins they use, getting and using plugins will depend greatly on the purpose of your blog and what your market will like. Do not put things on your blog that YOU like, always, always, keep your visitors/customers first in mind when you are planning your blog and content.

Now let’s discuss installing your plugin.

Once you download your plugin, it will usually come in .zip format. There are different ways to install your plugin. The easiest fastest way to do this, is to log into your admin area of your blog, click on plugin and choose Add New. You will see where it says Install a plugin in .zip format. Next to this box, click the browse button to find where on your computer the plugin is saved. Click upload.

On the next page you will be able to see the status of the upload, when it is finished you will be given the links to activate your plugin click this to activate it.

Now remember, some plugins require additional set up so be sure that you read all the information that comes with the plugin or on the website where you downloaded it.

That is really all there is to installing your plugins and activating.

If you don’t see this option to upload your plugin then you will have to ftp your plugin to your blog using an ftp program such as Filezilla. You will need to unzip the plugin before you upload it.

After you upload it, you will have to log into admin area of your blog and go to installed plugins and manually activate it. Again, make sure there is no setup to do to finalize the installation.

I hope this article will answer your questions when it comes to setting up and installing your blog plugings.

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The word blog comes from the term weblog, web and log. It is a place anyone can post their comments, articles, videos, and just about anything at all.

The idea behind blogs has been around for a very long time, better known as CMS (Content Management System) but these systems were very difficult for most folks to use and set up. They took a big learning curve and most didn’t want to go through this.

Blogs are chronological diaries; starting with the newest post of the day showing first. Many bloggers post at least once a day and some post multiple times a day. Each post usually has a “permalink” (a URL which always links to the post), but the blog itself has a constant URL, and the content of that URL is always changing.

Blogs are also a type of social interaction, with comments being left and a group of readers springing up around them. This can make marketing efforts far more personal and accessible to potential customers.

With blogs it is much easier and faster to get set up and going and anyone can do this.

Blogs can and are being used for many different things today. Teenagers are even getting in on this concept since it is so easy to set up and start using immediately.

Today marketers online have found that having a blog helps them with their promotions and building a following of loyal followers. Their income increases and they build respect within their market.

As a marketer should you have a blog? YES!!

If you are just starting out and building a list, I would highly recommend that you start out with a simple blog with an op-in form on it. You do not have to start out with a website and the hassles and costs of building a website.

Another good reason why a marketer should use a blog is for search engines. Search engines such as Google love blogs as they are updated frequently with good content. But don’t get carried away and update your blog all day long, Google will slap you for that. Making one post a day is enough to get your blog noticed and ranked by Google.

Bogs may also use a “TrackBack” system that allows the visitor to see who has written the original post and any other entry concerning it.

I would not recommend your blog be your main focus, unless you totally understand how they work and how to add plug ins and other resources into them. The use of blogs for online marketing is best used as a tool to bring in visitors and give them good quality content so they will return often and check out other posts and click on some of your links.