Blogsessive Branding
Blogsessive has just got a brand new look. A new, expressive logo, a modern website layout and a nice new mascot!
There is not much more to say. We simply love it, and hope you will like it as much as we do! Your feedback is greatly appreciated.
Enjoy your reading on the new Blogsessive!
WordPress 2.5
WordPress 2.5 Stable Release (codename: Brecker) is finally out. And, as that was not enough, WordPress.org just received a brand new look, matching the overall style of the latest release. Don’t be fooled by the “2.5″. If you just take a look at the changes, this can easily be a whole new version!
Amongst the numerous changes done in the past 6 months of work we can see: multiple files uploads, plugin upgrades through one click, built-in gallery system, a whole new customizable dashboard (including stats and widgets), cookie encryption, concurrent editing protection, tag management, media library, a better WYSIWYG, full screen post editor and the search facility extend to also to pages.
WordPress 2.5 is new, is revolutionary and as the developers say:
2.5 is a major milestone for WordPress not because it added dozens of user-requested features, but because it reaffirms that we’re as passionate about blogging as the day we started.
Don’t lose any more time, get your 2.5. Dowload WordPress now.
Domain names for bloggers (2)
Welcome back, as we continue this series with the second episode! In this part we focus mainly on domain names for money making blogs. The following domains were available for registration at the time this post was published. Pick one and start blogging with a great name!
Niche and targeted domain names
- FreewareBlogger.com
- FaqBlogger.com
- CashedBlog.com
- CashedBlogger.com
CashInBlog.com- BloggedCash.com
- BloggedMoney.com
- BlogCashier.com
Domain Names for sale
- Blogosphere.cc (Website included)
- TvGossips.com
- Contact us for offers
For further help, please read the How to Register a Domain Name for Your Blog article on Blogsessive.
How to register a domain name for your blog
So, you’ve just got a brilliant new idea for a blog! That’s awesome!
You already know what the blog is going to be about. Plans are shaping inside your head. You can already see titles, content, ads and you even know what theme to use.
There is only one little problem: you need to register a domain name. And not just only a domain name, but one to help you better promote your blog, one that truly represents your ideas and stands out in the crowd. In this article we will cover the best ways to find and register a perfect domain name for your blog.
Register a domain name
The first place you need to look is the website of a company that offers domain registration services, such as GoDaddy, Dynadot, Moniker or NamePros. For a comprehensive list of domain registrars, rated and reviewed, please follow this link. The minimum price of a .com domain registration with a trustworthy company is $5.99, while the maximum goes up to $9.99. Some of the domain registrars offer a free domain name along with a hosting account opened through their services.
On these websites you can also make a domain search to find out if your desired name is available. Be careful where you check the domain name availability, in the past there have been reports of companies that register your queried domain, only to offer it back for a higher price. It is always a good idea to do a search over the internet for forum topics and blog posts about your chosen registrar’s services and business conduct.
Assuming that from all your searches there are no available domain names, there are still three options that might just get you that perfect name.
Domain name snapping
Your first option would be to try and “snap” that name as soon as it becomes available. This kind of service is offered by companies such as SnapNames & Pool, where for a fee you can ask them to try and get you that domain name. Working with a “domain name snapping” company gives you improved chances to finally get that name. Assuming that there are more people who want to acquire the same name as you, you won’t stand a chance against the snapper’s bots if you try to register the domain by yourself. If you and all these people will use a snapper’s services and the domain name gets snapped, an auction will be opened and the highest offer will take the domain. If you are the only one that wants the name, as soon as it’s snapped it will be transferred to you.
Domain name auctions
If the above option doesn’t sound appealing to you, you can always check for registered domain names available for online auction, either on marketplaces like GoDaddy’s Domain Name Aftermarket, Sedo’s Domain Catalogue and Moniker’s Aftermarket or on the marketplaces available no famous internet and computer related forums like: NamePros, Digital Point or SitePoint. Here, registered users place domain names from their portfolio for sale at prices as low as $0.01. Since on these forum markets there is no contract signed, the risk of getting scammed is greater than on other markets, where the company that owns the market acts as an auction leader and payment intermediary.
Expired domains / Dropped domains
If you’ve tried both of the above options with no success there is still one think you can do, check for expired and dropped domains. Such lists of expired domains are regularly uploaded and updated on websites like StuckDomains. Since these lists are public, there is always a chance that someone else saw that name and registered the domain before you.
Tip: When auctioning online for a domain name you should first try and find out the real value of that name, including valid PageRank, backlinks indexed in search engines, domain age, domain length and keywords. All these will help you pay the right price and not more than the real value of the domain.
Thus being said, we wish you good luck in you domain search hoping that our little guide on how to register a domain names has helped you in your name hunt.
Domain Names for Bloggers
Looking for the perfect domain name for your blog? Look no further! Check out the Domain Names for Bloggers series on Blogsessive and choose from a variety of handpicked available domain names covering a wide selection of topics.
- Domain Names for Bloggers (16)
- Domain Names for Bloggers (15)
- Domain Names for Bloggers (14)
- Domain Names for Bloggers (13)
- Domain Names for Bloggers (12)
- Domain Names for Bloggers (11)
- Domain Names for Bloggers (10)
- Domain Names for Bloggers (9)
- Domain Names for Bloggers (8)
- Domain Names for Bloggers (7)
- Domain Names for Bloggers (6)
- Domain Names for Bloggers (5)
- Domain Names for Bloggers (4)
- Domain Names for Bloggers (3)
- Domain Names for Bloggers (2)
- Domain Names for Bloggers (1)
The Proper Structure of a Blog Post
We’ve all heard the cliché “Content is King”. And it’s true – the more quality content your site has, the more both the readers and the search engines will like you for it. However, good content only means something when it’s presented properly: you could have the best tips on how to make money to be found anywhere, but if the structure of the blog post isn’t right, then it’s just as if those killer tips weren’t even there.
Let’s start at the beginning: the crucial part of any blog post is the introductory paragraph. This should be no more than a couple of lines and should be short and snappy, summarizing the article. The purpose of the first couple of sentences is to inform the reader about the post to come, and entice him or her into reading the whole thing with promises of some juicy content.
Next comes the main content. Different points should always be separated by different paragraphs, possibly with their own sub-heading. Either these sub-headings or the first sentence of each new paragraph should be the “leader” sentence. This is somewhat akin to the introductory paragraph: it should summarize the lines to come and almost force the reader to carry on exploring the post. Like the first paragraph, the leader should be short and snappy, ideally containing a controversial phrase. Controversy sells best on the web, and a unique and intriguing leader sentence will lure your readers into continuing to read the paragraph. Example leader sentences could be: ‘I can make you rich, with little effort on your part, in seven days flat.’ or ‘For years people have wasted their money on expensive blogging platforms without realising there was a free alternative.’ The rest of the paragraph should solely be based around the leader sentence, and should embellish it until a new point needs to be made. Remember: new point, new paragraph.
In addition to all of this, you need to keep your reader interested. Break up paragraphs often to avoid big chunks of text. As the average time spent on a website is purely a matter of seconds, you need all the help you can get into persuading the reader that your blog post is worth reading. If you have lists, then always use numbers or bullet points. Never nestle or embed them, that is to say never put lists in an ordinary sentence using commas in the middle of a paragraph. In fact, always try and turn things into lists where possible. They’re easy to reference, read and find. “Top 20 Blogging Platforms” sounds much better than “An in-depth discussion of the pros and cons of several of the leading blogging platforms”. People always need to be able to easily access and digest information.
Don’t forget your summary paragraph: a short round-up of what you’ve been talking about, and if necessary a conclusion. Ideally, include RSS and further information to aid your readers. A cliff-hanger which subtly promotes your next post is another great idea.Good luck!
A guest post by Heebie.
Flash Tag Cloud WordPress plugin
Roy Tanck’s flash tag cloud WordPress plugin – WP Cumulus – is the perfect tool for those of you who want a cool flashy gadget on their blog. From Roy’s provided information, this plugin should not affect the SEO score of your blog, since it will deliver the WordPress classic tag cloud to users that don’t have the Adobe Flash Player installed.
It easy to install, customize and implement and works exactly like a normal WordPress tag cloud, only with some nice effects for the tag navigation. A fully functional demo can be seen on the Roy Tanck’s blog, as well as the plugin download package.
So, all you blogsessed people out there, give this flash tag cloud a spin and tell us what you think about it!
Domain names for bloggers (1)
Having a good, keyword and/or memorable domain name for your blog is a must! Blogsessive will bring you a nice, hand-picked list of suggestions every week. Look, choose and register. Start blogging with a great domain name! All listed domains were available at the time the post was published.
“Blogging” generic and brandable domains
- BlogZombie.com (Fun)
- Blogaristic.com (Brandable)
Niche and targeted domain names
- PressBlogger.com
- CritiqueBlog.com
- BlogAPic.com
- TravelersView.com
- Triptaculous.com
- SuvBlogger.com
- SEOWritings.com
- StockPriceBlog.com
- Cinematician.com
- TheaterInformer.com & TheatreInformer.com
Stay tuned for more available domain names for bloggers in next week’s second part of the series.
For further help, please read the How to Register a Domain Name for Your Blog article on Blogsessive.
Best blogging tips from the world’s top bloggers (1)
Over the years, experience has thought bloggers how to define their online personality, writing skills and furthermore use these skills to help less-experienced bloggers evolve. This is a hand-picked collection of the best blogging tips from the world’s top bloggers.
From ‘Lorelle on WordPress’
“Bloggers love to have other bloggers link to their sites”
Lorelle looks at linking as a strategy. Not only a strategy to exchange links and increase traffic, but as a strategy to reach people and build relationships. In the long run, this strategy would bring more traffic to your blog than those shameless self-promoting comments and posts!
“Give without expectation of return”
From Lorelle’s point of view, linking or positive writing about someone / something else should be done without expecting positive feedback, comments or backlinks. Write or link only because you like that someone, or their articles and don’t ask to get the same in return. It’s not a negotiation!
From ‘Problogger’
“Prove yourself first”
Darren Rowse, the man behind Problogger.com comments on how to build a good reputation inside a network. “There’s nothing more frustrating that networking with someone who disappears a couple of weeks later”, says Darren. The best thing you can do is to prove that you’re here to stay. Be constant and contribute to the network!
“Give your best content away”
If you want to build a solid base of readers, there is nothing better than constantly providing great content. Don’t save your best posts for later, or it might be too late. “The best way [...] to convince people that you’ll write great content in future is to show them great content now”, says Darren.
From ‘Copyblogger’
“Taking time to think”
While many wish to become successful bloggers, only a few manage to do so. Why? James Chartrand has found the secret key: “we don’t take the time”. In his opinion, the best thing you can do when writing a new article is to sit down and think about every possible way to present the story, as well as taking time to find the best informational resources.
“Personal branding”
“The key to effectively building your profile is the value you provide to others and what they say in result, not what you say about yourself”, stated Brian Clark, founder of Copyblogger.
More blogging tips…
Next week, in the second part of this series, Blogsessive will bring you more high-quality blogging tips from the world’s top bloggers. Stay tuned!
How to check and improve your WordPress SEO
You’ve finally got your WordPress blog online and your hopes up. You’re writing articles and expecting readers to drop-in soon, but time passes and nothing happens. You know your articles are a good reading, so why aren’t readers showing up? That’s because you need to improve your online visibility, your WordPress SEO score.
In my past article, Better Blog SEO Plugin, I’ve presented a tool to help you easily manage your SEO needs. Now it’s time to explain how to test the results, and if the results are not as good as expected, how to update your content and SEO accordingly.
Let’s say you’ve optimized your home page and/or post page for some keywords, but still search engines refuse to index you higher and searches for those keywords aren’t providing you with any visitors. Most probably, that’s because your content is not relevant in relationship with the provided keywords. At this time, you have 2 choices:
1. Rethink your website’s keyword list and meta tags
Scan through your posts, find the most common and relevant keywords and modify your keywords meta tag accordingly. Use these keywords in the page’s title tag and for the description try to get a small paragraph that uses in a logic and readable way the provided keywords. The closer this description comes to a text paragraph available on the page, the more relevant it will be.
2. Rebuild your most recent content around the old keywords.
This option is the most time-consuming, but if you know you’ve got a good keyword list, with good search engine results (only not for you), then it should worth the effort. Always keep in mind how much competition you have for that keyword list, and how powerful that competition is. Otherwise you’re efforts will be in vain. It’s always better to fight for 1.000 relevant results and get the most of it, that for 10.000.000 results and get none.
Once you’ve done one of the above steps, the best thing you can do is to check the results with one of the following free available online SEO tools:
DomainTools.com – The Whois tool available on this domain provides users with a SEO rating of the queried domain, as well as with a SEO browser to analyze you page from a search engine’s point of view. It also makes suggestions on the things that still need to be done to increase your SEO score.
SEOCentro.com – SEO Centro provides user with a very helpful, free online meta tag analyzer. This way you can learn more about your meta tags, their relevance and also the most popular keywords found in your blog’s content.
There are of course many more online SEO tools, but these 2 should be enough to help you find your way around your blog’s SEO.
10 Blogging tips for a better reader experience
The quality of the reader’s experience is essential to your blog’s success. It is most important that you deliver original, interesting and well-written content every time you hit the “Publish Post” button. The way you manage to deliver this content will finally result in your reader’s reaction toward your blog. So, whenever you want to publish a new article, you should consider the following blogging tips:
1. Choose a topic
And stick with it. We live in a dynamic era. People have less and less time to spend for themselves or to look for information. Deliver you content in a straight-forward way, without altering the subject.
2. The Title is your best ally
Whenever you decide to post a new article, try to extract the essence of the topic and formulate one short, descriptive title that perfectly represents the information that unfolds below. The shorter and more expressive the title, the easier for people to find it, remember it and recommend it.
3. Unique content
Provide your users with unique content. It’s very hard these days, but it’s well worth it. If your topic has been approached before by other bloggers, it doesn’t mean that you can’t express your opinions on the subject. Just keep in mind the fact that readers tend to read multiple sources for a topic and select the most representative and clean information they find. Who knows, maybe you’ll find those who share your point of view on the matter.
4. Write for people
Some bloggers tend to write their articles in a fanatic-SEO way. It’s always good to use representative keywords in your post, but don’t exaggerate. Your most important friend is the reader. The better the reader’s experience, the better your blog will rank in search listings. Those indexing bots that everyone talks about have been developed, after all, by humans. You might fool them once, but does it worth the risk?
5. Use images
Only when they provide help for a better understanding of a term/fact/topic. A picture is worth a thousand words, but keep in mind that blogging is about writing, not drawing.
6. Reference
Give your article more credibility. Provide users with good reference to your content so that if a reader wants to find out more information on the topic, he/she will have the right tools at his/her disposal, making your website the perfect start for a future knowledge development.
7. Link building
If other bloggers have approached the same topic with interesting content, relate you content to theirs. This will attract fellow bloggers to you website and so help you develop a good linking system. The key to the success of this step resides in the quality of your content.
8. Use tags
Think of tags as if they were keywords. They are helpful for indexing bots, but most important, they help readers find related, relevant content. Pick your tags carefully, in perfect sync with the provided information.
9. Cross article reference
If, in the past, you have published similar or related articles, make sure to include them in your new post as related posts. This will help users find more content on your blog, spend more time and create more page views. If you use an ad system, I’m sure that the importance of those page views is familiar to you.
10. Respond to comments
Take a moment and engage your readers in a discussion. It’s always nice to show your appreciation to those that give a few minutes of their busy life to comment your posts.
Finally, consider these blogging tips, not as secure paths to success, but as ways to ensure the quality of your readers’ experience.
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