Many new website developers don’t know how to properly choose a website hosting provider. Whether you are a new blogger looking to find a host for your WordPress site, or you are an experienced web publisher looking to make a change, my Bluehost vs Hostgator review showdown should help you decide. I have experience with both of these providers and I can hopefully shed some light on which one is the right pick for your particular situation. I summarize my findings in the table below, present my “bottom line” recommendations, and then present the backup details. If you have experience with these providers or have questions on your particular situation, make sure to leave a comment!
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How To Make Money Blogging
If you are interested in how to make money blogging, then you’ve come to the right place. Over the last 5 years I’ve experimented with countless ways of making money online – some successful, some dismal failures. Along the way I’ve learned a lot and decided to build a list of money making methods that you can use to monetize your blog. If you have experience in any of these, or know of additional methods please leave a comment!
Because this list is long. I’ve added some jump links below so that you can navigate easier:
SEO 101: Part 2 – Keywords and SEO Ranking Factors
This is Part 2 of our SEO 101 article series. In SEO 101: Part 1, we explore fundamental SEO principles, learn how search engines work, and understand how web pages are ranked in search results. In this article, we cover keyword research, on-site SEO and off site ranking factors.
Keyword Research
Keyword research is an important skill to master if you are interested in realizing significant traffic from search engines. The important aspects of keyword research can be broken down into four components:
- Volume – Identifying keywords that have sufficient enough search volume to make them worth your while
- Competition – Evaluating the competition for the keyword to understand if you have the ability to rank
- Intent – You should seek keywords that have the right intent associated with them. If you are an e-commerce site, you are looking for phrases that may contain purchase intent keywords such as “buy”, “review”, “best” etc.
- Content – The best keywords to optimize for are the ones that you are ready, willing and able to commit to developing significant content for. Your keywords/content should be chosen for their longevity. [Read more…]
SEO 101 – The Basics of Search Engine Optimization – Part 1
SEO 101 is intended to provide you with a basic (and updated) understanding of the various components of SEO. In part 1 of the article, we cover how search engines work and how they determine your rankings. In the second part of the article, we cover keyword research, on site SEO factors and off site SEO factors.
Before we get started, let’s make sure we are talking about the same thing:
“Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a web site or a web page in search engines via the “natural” or un-paid (“organic” or “algorithmic”) search results.” – Wikipedia
SEO is a term that is extensively used but not widely understood. The practice of Search Engine Optimization is intended to improve your rankings on the various search engines which will lead to increased traffic to your site. SEO is important because search engines are important. Most websites, especially newer ones without an established audience, will receive 50% or more of their traffic from search engines. Even established websites with a large audience of repeat visitors covet search engine traffic because it brings in new customers. [Read more…]
How to Create Compelling Blog Posts – Foundation Content
When developing content for a blog or website, many people struggle with choosing a topic. This article will stress the importance of the quality of the content you are developing. When trying to decide between writing five quick articles or one well thought out resource guide – I urge you to consider the concept of “Foundation Content”.
What Is Foundation Content
Foundation Content is core content that you build your website around. Your website has a specific niche that it is addressing. Foundation Content represents the articles and resources intended to satisfy the most urgent needs within your market space. If a visitor to your website only reads your foundational articles, they should feel that they have gained valuable insight into your niche. There are many analogies and metaphors to help you understand the concept of Foundation Content. Here are a few that I find to be useful: [Read more…]