Blog Resources

There is a sale currently going on at Site Build It! - Site Build It! Summer Sale. (expires June 21, 2008)

If you are new to blogging or website development, then this is one of the blog resources that I recommend you look into. The Site Build It! program is a very comprehensive package.

As I have mentioned before, blogging is about so much more than content. Regardless of what anyone says, you do need a bit of tech knowledge to keep things running smoothly on the site. Whether you need to tweak or troubleshoot, you will need a to learn a bit of simple code. In addition, if you are blogging for income - marketing knowledge is a must. On the internet that means keyword research, search engine optimization, and link building strategies.

I have spent the last year learning about the world of business on the web from a variety of different sources. Some blog resources were excellent, others were a complete waste of time.

I recently came across Site Build It! and it caught my interest. It seemed like a great solution for the person who really wanted to focus their time on building content. The Site Build It! program is built to either take care of the other aspects or at least guide you through:

You get more than just a “site builder.” You don’t need to worry about looking for separate hosting, paying for a separate keyword research tool, handling site submissions, integrating autoresponders, etc., etc. See the full list of features here — pick the most relevant ones for you and your reader.

But what has really captured my interest are the free eBooks that Ken Evoy has provided at Site Build It!. I am currently pouring over Affiliate Masters Course eBook. I am finding a ton of useful information on targeting keywords and affiliate marketing. You see, getting traffic to your website is one thing, getting that traffic to convert into income is another.

And why is Site Build It! just giving away this information when they could charge for it? My take is that Site Build It! is not only showing us the way to success on the net but they are also telling us how hard and time consuming it really is to succeed. Purchasing the Site Build It! program will essentially pave the path and make it easier for us achieve our blogging goals. It’s that simple. And it makes sense.

Here is a link to a more blog resources / free eBooks available at Site Build It! I, personally, plan to read them all.

• Free SiteSell Downloads and eBooks

I came across a wonderful post about generating links to your site. Keep this in your file of blog resources and refer to it whenever you are feeling a little down about your site’s traffic (or lack thereof):

How to Get Legitimate Backlinks

The article does an excellent job of detailing the ways NOT to get links and goes on to offer up some suggestions for getting links the right way.

I would go into more detail here, but I am a bit short on time, and the author said it all so well. Take a look at the article and let me know which link building strategies work best for you, and if you have any more to add.

If you have started a blog or are considering such an endeavor, you should ask yourself this question: What is blogging success?

It is always important to have a clear goal in mind before starting anything and blogging is no different. Without a direction it is easy to get frustrated and eventually give up.

Usually people start a blog for one of three reasons:

• to make money online
• to share their knowledge on a particular subject, for business and personal reasons
• to start a personal journal

Why are you blogging?

There is no right answer, but the approach you take will vary depending on your reasons.

If you want to make money online, you need to understand before you start that the road is long and there are no overnight riches. Blogging for money is time consuming and hard work. If you are successful, the rewards will come later. But for now, you will need to learn the tricks of the trade. You will need to learn about search engine optimization and link building from day one. Without traffic there is no money to be made.

The second reason, sharing specialized knowledge will also incorporate the techniques for making money online but to a lesser extent. If you are an expert in your field, then your audience will follow. They will want to hear what you have to say because of your reputation alone. You will focus on content. Gaining readership may or may not be your goal. If your blog is for a business that already has a website, then you will piggyback traffic from that website. If not, participating in online forums about your topic will slowly build you a reader base.

And finally a personal journal does not depend on traffic for success. This is the most fun type of site to build because you can write about anything really. Post your family’s pictures, talk about your kids or your vacation, anything goes. Your audience is people you know and you can let your creativity shine through. Your site can be password protected or not. Pressure to gain rankings with search engines and to post often is non-existent. And success is achieved on day one.

No matter what your goal Blog Resources is a site that provides you with lots of tools to build your blog, so check in often, subscribe via RSS, or sign up to receive specialized offers that will help you along your road to blogging success.

My first blog Parenting Tips at NeenMachine.com was hosted on the free Blogger platform (as I mentioned previously here at Blog Resources, it is now on WordPress). I was dismayed that selection of blog templates included at Blogger were so plain and unimaginative. Not knowing any html I muddled through the customization process and came up with something that would pass.

Today, to my delight, I came across a site called Splat Designs that offers custom Blogger templates. The designs are fun, fresh, and lively. Most are custom and will cost you (I don’t know how much) but Splat offers a few free templates as well.

Anyhow, if you have a blog on Blogger and are looking for something to dress it up, you may want to stop by and check it out.

Splat Designs also offers custom headers, business cards, buttons, and logos.

I know that I am a bit behind the times, but I just upgraded to WordPress 2.5 with Fantastico. It seems like Fantastico always lags behind with the WordPress upgrades. I just noticed the upgrade to 2.5 option today, and after installation I see that WordPress 2.5.1 is already out but not available yet on Fantastico. Regardless, I find Fantastico to be one of my useful blog resources.

Overall the upgrade went smoothly. Whenever I upgrade WordPress, I always revert my theme back to the default Kubrick and deactivate all plugins prior to upgrade. Once the upgrade is complete, I choose my original theme and reactivate all plugins.

So far, I heart WordPress 2.5 for one feature only. Oh, I know there are lots of improvements but the ability to automatically upgrade plugins to the latest version is huge! What a timesaver! This one feature is amazing.

Anyhow, I had a bunch of sites to upgrade and it really didn’t take that long. If you haven’t upgraded yet and you use Fantastico - you may want to check it out. The upgrade was available to me through BlueHost. If you are looking for cheap web hosting for only $6.95/mo you should check them out.