How Do I Create a Blog?

Every business needs a blog!

• A blog is one of the easiest ways to get found by the search engines.
• A blog provides a simple way to give people updates about your business
• A blog is easy to learn to change on your own
• A blog provides an RSS feed that allows to automatically get your news

First you have to choose the best blogging platform to meet your needs.  A blogging platform is the software that enables you to transform your content into a website.

Two of the most popular blogging platforms are WordPress and Blogger. There are advantages and disadvantages to both of these options. You can decide what is best for your business after reviewing the pros and cons.

BLOGGER

ADVANTAGES

• Very easy to use
• Easy to set up (just follow the steps)
• Nothing to install
• You don’t need your own hosting
• Free to use
• You don’t need a domain name
• Posting is easy
• Themes are easy to change

DISADVANTAGES

• Limited flexibility – design of themes
• Limited flexibility – functions
• Domain name will be:  “yourblogname.blogspot.com”
• Ownership – this is my biggest problem with Blogger! Your content and blog reside on Google’s servers.  They can remove your blog!

WORDPRESS
NOTE: WordPress.com is like Blogger in that there are limitations and ownership issues. However, I am going to be talking about WordPress.org which is installed on your hosting.

ADVANTAGES

• Free to use – you can download and install the software for free
• Installed on your hosting – you own it
• Installed on your domain – you own it
• Tons of diverse and unique themes which can give your website/blog a unique look
• “Plugins” that are free which increase the functionality of your your blog/website
• OWNERSHIP – You own the domain, the hosting and the website/blog
• More professional
• The functionality allows you to setup a website or a blog or a “website and blog”

DISADVANTAGES

• More intimidating to setup
• Will need to buy a domain name (this is optional for Blogger)
• Will need to have hosting
• More difficult to learn (once you learn how to add posts and pages, it is simple to maintain)

If you have a business, then I strongly recommend that you setup a WordPress blog on your own hosting.  You maintain ownership and it looks more professional.

There is a place for Blogger!  If you have a personal blog, Blogger is great to use.  I use Blogger to feed my main business site.  Since Blogger is owned by Google, it gets indexed and has a high page rank.  I create content on Blogger and link to my main website.

If you need help setting up your WordPress blog, we do it for you in BestofNancy.com.  If you want to do it yourself, there are over 20 videos in Internet Tutor showing you step by step how to setup a WordPress blog on your hosting.

Please post comments or questions below.