If you are thinking of starting to create a blog, what is the best platform to use to get blogging? It is not an easy question to answer as a lot of it will depend on your circumstances, but here goes!

For most people I would say that without a doubt, the best way to get started blogging is by using WordPress. Go to WordPress.org, download the latest version and install it onto some suitable hosting space. Don’t panic, over the next few weeks I’ll provide easy instructions for this!

But, what makes WordPress my ultimate favourite? It is the platform that I now always turn to, having tried a few different blogging tools in my time. I love the tool for its flexibility. It is free to use, just requiring website hosting space and a domain name. And you can add on to it with many off the shelf plugins. If you want to add statistics, a list of most popular posts or whatever other crazy ideas you have, someone else has probably already also had that idea and written a plugin for you to use. Just download it, install it and you are up and running.

However, there are times when this is not the best option for you. For example, if you are going to be running a hobby blog and want a lot of visitors quickly, then there are hosted blogs that form part of various communities. For example, if you are trying to spur on your running training, then starting a blog within a running community will give you that community immediately as readers, which could spur you on.

And then if you want a basic site and just can manage the technicalities or want to do it absolutely for free, then have a look at Blogger, or WordPress.com. Both of these are excellent blogging platforms that are available for free. But, there might not be so many options open to you.

Guest blogging could be the new way of link building, but what is it for and more importantly, what are the pitfalls to avoid? We take a quick look here.

First, when it all goes well, it is a chance for you to expose your best work to potentially thousands of new readers on on someone else’s blog. Assuming you are picking a good blog that deals with the same general topics as you do, these could be ripe to pop over to your blog and join your RSS readership.

Of course, for the publishing blog, it is a free source of alternative thoughts and ideas. We always say that content is king – through having plenty of original content you generate more opportunities of the search engines sending your traffic. And at times it can be difficult finding new material to write about. Plus, as the publisher, you might just learn something new as well or be inspired to write about a new thought from what you read.

Also, guest blogging is spreading your writing not only on other people’s blogs, but also onto whatever social media they use, which could be different to yours. For example, a lot of bloggers will automatically post the new posts to blogger, facebook or their preferred social media network. So your posts are being exposed to these networks of followers. Not only this, but you are getting links from other websites, for free! And this is a great search engine benefit that you will want to take advantage of!

So guest blogging sounds great! Are there any problems with it?

Yes, you have to prepare and submit your very best of writing when you are asking someone else to publish it for you. It has to be excellent! If must be exciting enough to tempt the other blogger to allow you to guest on their blog whilst also interesting and saying something new so that their readers take note of what you are writing and then take an interest in your blog and visit it.

This means that there could be a couple of iterations of writing each post, as the blog owner asks you to make improvements. It could take quite a while to actually go from first writing the post to seeing it live. Plus, during this time you are being subjected to some what could feel to be quite harsh comments about your writing, either the style of the writing or the content or the way that you handle the subject. I have seen blog owners on forums complaining and naming guest bloggers that have written something that they do not agree with 100%.

And then, of course, there is always the chance of the blogger doing the dirty on you by rewriting it, removing your links and publishing it to other sources, without your links. Or even just removing your links after a couple of days or weeks and you never seeing the search engine benefits nor the extra traffic.

It is well worth guest blogging, just make sure that you choose your blogs carefully.

You might have decided that you need to get a Technorati Authority for your site, but how do you go round it?

First, I used to consider that pinging Technorati works. Don’t bother, they ignore pings now! You might as well take away the ping from your blog and save the processing time. So what do you do? Here are the measures we have used to swiftly get a ranking.

1. Go technorati.com and sign up for an account. Simple. You will need to confirm it as usual by clicking an email link, but in general, nothing clever!

2. Find the claim a site button. Follow the form for instructions here – enter your website URL and press next, then type in the details you find. Don’t submit it only yet!

If you don’t know your RSS feed address, it could be displayed on your blog somewhere. Only right click and then copy link location to copy it and paste it where it is asked for. If it isn’t shown somewhere, you are missing a trick!

3. One of the optional fields is for sites linking back to you. If you have been using FTS or article directories, then you should have some of these. Go to Yahoo and search link:www.yourblog.com and find several websites linking back to you (forget Google, unless you have heaps of links). Copy and paste three of these into the form. I have no idea if it really helps, but the question is there, so in case it does…

4. imagine up some suitable tags and enter them, plus choose the three categories that match your weblog the best. Now, check the details and press submit.

Now, they will email you a claim code that you have to put into your website. This seems to be the biggest sticking point for getting listed – positioning this claim token. The problem is here that Technorati seems to do a double check.

First, they spider the website to check the claim token exists and second they look for it in your RSS feed. The second makes sense, as I will explain in a moment. But why then do the first? If both checks used the RSS feed then an error message might be generated. I think that this is the reason that numerous claims are failing and why loads of blogs are not getting listed. Let me explain more!

The reason to use the RSS feed rather than merely spidering the website is because anyone could place a comment in a site, which could include the claim token. You have to be able to update the posts to be able to get it onto the RSS feed.

So what causes the claim problem? Well, loads of bloggers set the RSS feed to just display a summary, rather than the full post. If the claim token is too far down the post, then it won’t be read by Technorati. Therefore, your blog doesn’t get listed properly.

So, when you receive your claim token, create a new post and put the token in the first sentence. I would recommend within the first 30 words at the most. Also, (in WordPress), go to settings, reading and be certain that the RSS feed is giving the entire post. A belt and braces job, but better to ensure that. Once you start to see a Authority appearing, you could reset your feed to summary merely if you prefer.

After that, you should be ready to get listed. You merely have to get other bloggers to mention you in their posts!

Would you like to get started in blogging for an income? Are you wondering what is involved in this, how to do it, whether it is easy to get started?

Well, during the month of June I will be writing and publishing a series of articles based on how to do just this. I will discuss how to set up a blog and the pros and cons of different blogging tools. I will also discuss how to make it more popular and how to get people visiting the blog to build your traffic and how to make sure they stay on the site once they get there.

Then we will get down to business with different methods of making an income – from paid posting to affiliate promotion. I will make it all as painless as possible and easy to follow!

All of the sections will be published over the next few weeks in this category and when they are complete, made available as a free to download ebook called Blogging An Income. If you want to make sure that you do not miss a chapter, do one or all of these:

• bookmark the site
• follow the RSS Feed
• or just sign up to our newsletter

Whichever you choose to do, I hope that you find the information useful and keep coming back!

If you are interested in blogging for an income, what are you going to need to do? Well, there is more than you might think. Here is our simple plan to make an income through blogging.

First, two popular misconceptions:

1) It is easy to set up and anyone can do it and start making lots of easy money tomorrow.

2) You need a high page rank website with lots of traffic to make the best income.

In fact, the truth is somewhere in the middle. And I will explain why and where it is during this article.

Through my experience, you need a bit of everything. A blog with a low, or no, page rank is only going to attract low value offers. Maybe $1.50 per 100 word article. At the same time, a high page rank blog might attract offers of $30 per article, but there will be a lot less offers.

Many advertisers believe that the best value comes from lots of cheap adverts, whilst others prefer a few expensive offers. I won’t go into which I think is best here.

But this means that if you only have 1 low page rank blog you are going to need lots of work to make an income, whilst a better ranking blog might not need so much work, but there is not as much out there.

So, to earn an income through blogging, you need not one but many blogs. You need to set-up and create a handful of them and again, spread over several niches to attract most interest. Whilst a lot of advertisers do not care about matching themes, you might as a blogger with a well ranked site. By having different themes, not only does it make the work more interesting, but you are increasing your chances of attracting work all of the time and spreading the workload.

What are the steps then to a successful blogging income?

First, set-up a few blogs. Think through a few niches that you are interested in and can write about. Again, this is not the place for discussing how to set them up!

Next, start writing. To attract advertisers you should really aim to write at least one, maybe even two or three, non paid posts for every paid post you write. Also, it is a requirement of some systems that the blog has been live for 90 days and has 20 posts before you can join anyway.

Now, start submitting some articles to article directories and as guest blogs. This increases the number of links into your site, something that many advertisers will judge you on before selecting blogs.

When you are writing and especially when you are submitting articles, favour at first a few of your blogs. Concentrate on one or two of them so that these blogs start to gain more of a page rank than the others. These become your high ranking blogs. As the ranking on these blogs improves, bring in more new blogs and concentrate some writing on these.

Your aim is a spread of blogs through niches and ranking. That is the best preparation for plenty of income through blogging.

Too many bloggers are confused about adding a disclosure to their site or blog. Don’t be – it is easy! Just be open and honest with your posts and readers, and take a look at our guide.

Many bloggers want to earn a little extra money on the side by utilising the power of their blog, but many wonder what the term ‘disclosure’ means and how to add it to a blog. It is not something all that difficult to achieve, it is just meant as a way of being honest and open to your readers by spelling out that you will be being ‘compensated’ for some of your posts.

Sometimes, disclosure is a must
First let me say that some sort of disclosure is counted as mandatory in certain paid to post systems. This is because the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) of America has implemented standards on the use of endorsements and recommendations on websites, which I do not intend to go into here. Being a UK blogger, with my sites hosted on UK servers, I should not be affected…

But I am! If I want to take sponsored opportunities from US based sponsored posts systems, they are enforcing the American rules around the globe. So what are the options?

Well, a lot depends on the system that you are using and the advertiser that is paying you. Many advertisers do not want to shout out that the post about them is paid for and likewise many bloggers do not want to make it obvious either.

The options available to us include:

1) Add a site wide disclosure – create a page on your website that clearly states that you may be compensated for making some of your posts. Link to this page in your main navigation so that it is clear to find. This method is less intrusive, whilst you can fit in a lot more text.

2) Write a disclaimer on each post – just put at the bottom of the post a thank you message to the advertiser, or a quick message saying that the post is sponsored.

3) A bit of both – create a disclosure page and a disclosure badge. Add the badge to the end of each post that you are paid for, so that readers can use it as a link to the disclosure page.

It is your choice
What you do is up to you, but the text that you use is going to depend how you go about the disclosure. If you are placing it on each post, then only a simple message is possible. But if you create an entire page, then you have more space to be verbose and explain to your readers what you are doing.

In this case, you can write that you do accept paid advertising for sponsored posts, and that the subject of these posts will be affected by the advertiser, but that the opinions expressed will always be your own and not influenced by the advertiser.

Ultimately, I like to use both a disclosure page and in post disclosures, where possible. This means that I am always clear with my readers, and no one could accuse me of trying to place an advert without making it clear.

Leaving comments on websites is a popular way of generating traffic, but too loads of people go around it the wrong way and are doomed to fail. What are the correct procedures for leaving comments and what are the benefits?

The Benefits – Well first, the benefits. There are 2 clear benefits from leaving comments:

1. If the website you leave the comments on goes along with the dofollow theory, then you are very slightly helping the search engine optimisation of your web site.

2. If your comment is useful then some readers are bound to take an interest and want to find out more round you and will click your link back to your web site. This is the big bonus!

Do not worry round nofollow / dofollow if you don’t understand it. But in short, a lot of sites prevent the search engine benefits to reduce spammers hitting their web site and in fear it will leak their own Page Rank. The main benefit is the visitors that the comments will produce.

Successful Traffic – So, what steps do you need to take to successfully gain a trickle of traffic through commenting?

Well, for a start, you need to find a few blogs that will be of interest for your customers. Preferably some with a load of readers. But, if you can find them so can your customers.

Add Value – Next, read some posts and comment on merely one post. But forget the “Nice post, I really enjoy your writing” type of spam comment. These are possible to be deleted by the blog owner and it is not beautiful to the readers.

Your comment needs to add something to the post. If, for example, the post is talking round a fish keeping problem and you have experienced it, then a mention what you did. Other readers might be interested in the fact that you cured the problem and then want to read additional about what you did.

Don’t Get Greedy – This leads to the second point. When you leave the comment do not give any web site addresses in the actual comment text. You risk being deleted as spam before you even start by doing that. Merely write a bit round your experience. Along with the comment you might leave your website address. This can point to your home page, or if you have a extra relevant page, link to it there.

Use Your Name – Next you leave your name. Lots of people try to spam the comments by not leaving a name but by entering their favoured keywords. Another amazing way to have the comment deleted as spam. Leave your real name so that people see you as real.

Return For New Posts – And that, in short, is all that is required. Add the weblog to your RSS feed and watch for new posts and perhaps comment on them as well. Watch your web site visitors stats and see where traffic are arriving from and then you will know which sites to keep commenting on.

Get An Avatar – Only one last hint for this. Not an indispensable, but fabulous to do. Go to gravatar.com and sign up to their service and load a suitable Avatar. This might be a picture of you or a company logo. It doesn’t matter. But it means that on most sites where you place a comment this image will be what readers see. This has two benefits.

First, the website owner sees your face / logo and is extra associated with you as a real person.

Second, if readers are visiting many posts where you have commented they will see your picture some times and this will build up trust and they are then extra budding to use the link.

Profiting from blogging is the main reason that a lot of people get into blogging and a useful extra income for a lot of other bloggers. There are a lot of ways to earn an income, although not all are available to everyone around the world.

Unfortunately, for residents of South Africa, and maybe other countries, being paid via PayPal is not an option and this will rule out a load of the available opportunities, but even then there remain some ways to profit from your blogging.

For me, turning a blog into a profit involves 3 steps:

1. Implement the blog
I prefer to install WordPress and a set of useful, favourite, pluggins. You might have other options you prefer. But the first step it to set up the blog and get it looking right. Without a good looking website, you are never going to make much of a profit. Advertisers will not want to know as visitors will leave straight away.

2. Prepare your blog
All too many bloggers expect to make an income without this step, which is vital. They come asking why they are not earning a huge income having only just implemented the blog.

Yet, step 2 – preparing the blog – is the most vital step to get right!

The first part of preparing your blog is to write posts, and a lot of them! If you write 5 posts a week for 3 months, then you will have plenty of material on your website that will attract search engine visitors. This is also content that they can read and be interested in.

At the same time, you should be writing articles and posting them to article directories and submitting them as guest posts to other blogs. This will start to gather you a few regular visitors and to increase the Google Page Rank of your website, by increasing the number of links pointing into your website.

3. Start to earn some money.
Although you can start to earn some money as soon as your blog is published, the best profits only come when you have put the time and effort in to prepare your site in step 2.

But once you have a few regular readers, a decent page rank and a lot of content to attract the search engines and readers, then you can start to sign up for schemes that will make you money such as:

There is much talk around Free Mechanized Wealth Schemes, but what exactly are they? Are they genuine working from home methods, or scams to get you to part with your cash?

Well, in my view, whilst the ideas and techniques used in such programs are genuine enough, selling such basic information with such trumped up promises is not much above the level of a scam. They promise that you will be earning a load of money through a couple of hours of work each day, through tasks for example setting up links on Google.

But, Google do not pay you for this work, though looking at the screen prints of the adverts, I can make a good guess at what they are doing. Here are, what I believe to be, the basic steps that are entailed in such money programs.

1 – Find a product to sell – actually very easy to do! If you have a slight interest in any field, then you could even select a product from that area to work with.

2 – Set up a straightforward site – this is the basis to be working from. Yes, a web site designer may charge hundreds or thousands for such a website, but there are enough DIY tools.

3 – Buy several visitors – this, I think, is the setting up links bit that is often mentioned! You are not doing it for Google, but you are paying to display the adverts for you.

4 – Handle orders – but, if the system was as good as it is made out to be, this step would not be needed. I can usually do this sort of system without having to actually handle any orders or goods!

I would then take the system a step further by saying that we should then look at first, getting more people finding the website for free and secondly getting more sales value out of each customer. But these are crucial steps that I have never seen mentioned in any of the advertising for Mechanical Riches Methods that I have looked at.

It is not a case that what these people are trying to sell you is totally unreasonable and unachievable, do not get me wrong. It is merely that most of the information is already readily available for free, so why pay for it? Also, the promises of vast riches ignore the fact that to get to this position there must also be huge expenditures in pay per click advertising to generate the sales. If not, then the visitors are being found with several magic wand that the rest of us do not know round.

Appreciate that any work at home system, whether internet based or not, is going to take several effort to get it going and running well. There will be a lull at first then a gradual build up, or you are going to be ploughing thousands into advertising.

But, you might do it if you have the desire to succeed, the time to spare (an odd hour here and there) and the character to stick to the work.

Is link building in any form worth while, or is it a waste of time? Do links benefit your web site and push you up the results, or is it all one big myth? Have a look at my experiment results!

I have of late been carrying out a few experiments with link building to see what the effects are. I am part way through the entire test, which aims to find out if too many links can equally destroy the good work. But I am noticing several interesting results.

For my test I picked on a new site of my own that included a claim phrase from a paid to post system. This claim phrase is a random group of words that is just found on web-sites trying to become members of the system, so it is very unlikely that anyone else on the internet is running any SEO on it.

My blog, at the outset of the experiment, was 35th in the Google search results for this claim phrase and nowhere to be found on Bing or Yahoo. I used the phrase as the anchor text for a link to the post page from a PR3 site that I also control.

Give it a week and Google has been all more than the PR3 website. Funnily, this site is suddenly 12th on the results. At first, the blog moved up from 35th to 15th and then 10th, finally stepping above my PR3 site.

So through a single link on a PR3 page, my site jumped 2 full pages for this totally uncontested phrase on Google. It hadn’t moved a single place until the day I saw that the PR3 website had been revisited by Google. So, the merely explanation for the jump of 25 positions is this new found link to it.

But, it is also interesting to note Bing and Yahoo. Neither had the post page listed in the search results prior to the link going live. Yahoo did quite quickly collection the PR3 site with the collection on it for the search terms, which was quite promising, but it took a few more days until it also listed the post, down on the bottom of page 4.

The interesting difference between Google, Bing and Yahoo is the number of results each return. Bing and Yahoo return 30 – 40 results on this search yet exactly the same search on Google returns almost 800 existing results.

It appears that Google is being less fussy about what pages it caches and lists in the search engines. And when looking at how numerous pages of the website that Yahoo has indexed, they are nigh on all category and archive pages. There is only one post page listed in the archives – the one in this testing.

So, it looks as although because of one PR3 page pointing to the post, Google has promoted the website from 35th to 10th and Yahoo has taken an interest in the page and also cached it and listed it well. Bing though, is only being slow (it hasn’t visited the PR3 page for a few time).

Therefore, inbound links are beyond doubt the lifeblood of a web site. They do move you up the results and make search engines take notice of the pages. Next, I’ll test whether a web site wide link destroys the position or aids it!