Blog

Okay, so maybe you have a fresh, new blog idea ready to go, or maybe you’ve been blogging for years now. The great thing about a blog is the fact that the blogger has complete control over the content, purpose and look of their blog. Even if you’re using a site with particular, set layouts that you have to choose from, every blogger still has the ability to craft their own blog in a unique way that reflects the blog’s purpose and makes it attractive to users. Especially now, when more people are surfing the net than ever before, there is no better time to get the look of your blog up to speed. Not only will this help users better understand your blog, it will keep them coming back for more.  Here’s how to do it.

1. Keep it simple!

Never let yourself go crazy when it comes to the layout of your blog. Of course, there are tons of things that you want to convey to your readers and plenty of images you could use to enhance your writing. However, when it comes to the look of your blog, less is definitely more. These days, users hate to sift through endless amounts of information in order to find the things that are most relevant to them. When someone visits your blog, make it easy for them to navigate, and don’t overwhelm them with too many things on the page at once. The more visually-streamlined your blog, the better.

2. Use color with purpose.

Color is a great way to help your users cue in to the feel of your blog, and evoke vertain emotions. Color is one of the most useful tools that a designer has in their toolkit. However, that is exactly what we must remember color is a tool. Color can evoke feelings of calm just as easily as it can evoke feelings of stress. Ask yourself, what do you want your users to be feeling when they’re on your blog? If your color scheme doesn’t reflect your purpose, you’re users will have trouble getting in touch with you. Use color in order to add visual interest. Don’t use too little, and don’t use too much. It’s a fine line, but, if you take the time to think about it, you will be sure to hit the right note.

3. When it comes to images go for quality rather than quantity.

Images are another hugely important element of any website or blog. People can read images within seconds, and the images on your blog may be what determines whether a new user decides to read the information, or skip over your blog entirely. Choose your images with care, and select things that clearly have a reason for being on your site. Also, use as high-quality images as you can afford. Don’t skimp on this, because it is clear to users whether your blog has quality imagery, and their opinion of your blog will be affected by that.

4. Use your words wisely!

Most blogs use words as their main source of content. Bloggers write about topics as wide-ranging as forestry to celebrity gossip. Basically, if there is a topic out there, there is some blogger covering it. This means that most bloggers have quite a bit to say about their chosen subject matter. However, make sure that you don’t bring too many words into the over-all look and layout of your blog. Instead of using wordy titles and descriptions, cut down the word count as much as possible and save that for your actual articles. In fact, a great way to mark your articles is by using some form of visual indicator that is representative of the content of that article, and maybe includes a portion of the title. This way, users can get insight into what an article is about without having to do major surfing and clicking.

Follow these simple rules, and your blog should not only look better, but feel better, to users in no time!

Alvina Lopez is a freelance writer and blog junkie, who blogs about accredited online colleges.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: alvina.lopez@gmail.com.

How to Make Your Blog More Modern and More Useful? is a post from: Passionate Bloggers

Twitter is coming out with into the global world with many of the changes and with the best possible searches after Google search engine, Twitter is now looking for something huge,  perhaps there are wide variety of lists or the reasons why people like to use Twitter in much of their time. Today, I am going share some few excellent reasons why people choose to Twitter and how it can help for most of the people around the global with one another.

Building community with people of your field will enable you to reach your destination quickly. You can follow the thoughts of your friends and family and in today’s busy world, it’s getting harder and harder to keep up with others. Twitter makes it easy—and fun.

Its the best tool to promote your content or perhaps some of the business news whether expansion or innovation. The best of best content is worthless unless its properly reached to the people of your kind.

Who doesn’t require good and excellent with potential candidates who can take their business to an high extent. Smart job seekers will always follow the companies they wish to work for for getting good job opportunities.

Tweets helps you to grow more and more and help people around the globe. In return you will also get more benefits from them when you face a problem or any unsolved problems.

Its the best search engine after google. You can also track your name or company and get a sense of what people are saying or thinking of you. You can also respond quickly to any misinformation that might start to leak out. This will help in improving the reputation.

The very popular RSS feeds are being replaced here. With twitter , one can simply follow the kind of item or people you can looking for and you get a totally RSS subscription from those followers.

To be in this competetive global world, one always need to think big and keep getting some personla brands about themselves. Twitter provides a place to put your photo, a link to your website or blog and room for a brief bio. This is just the start you need to create a personal brand globally in a digital world.

These were some reasons, for which I would like to stay with Twitter.

Reasons by Martha, who works for GO-Globe.com, a Guangzhou Website Development and web design shanghai company that provides web design solutions in Shenzhen, Beijing, etc.

Top Most Reasons to Get and Stay With Twitter is a post from: Passionate Bloggers

Last time at Extreme Trix, I shared Web Master Tips to Avoid future errors, and today I am going to share some tips for Emerging Webmaster. Previously when World Wide Web was like a village these webmasters have wasted their precious time, energy and intelligence to build it and to maintain it. There were days when they use to build a website using HTML codes and Java scripts manually.

Today there are many websites and applications using which you can design and build your own website and for doing this you need not have to possess knowledge of HTML codes. Still we need Webmasters around because we can build the website but we will not be able to host it and maintain it.

Webmaster over the years have mastered in the technique to maintain and manage different websites. Although some of the webmasters have moved on with time by integrating their knowledge with the SEO technique.

Today SEO also has become an integral part of Webmasters and eventually maintaining and managing a website. Most of the webmasters are responsible for bringing in traffic to the website as well to maintain the higher ranks in the search engines.

They have to integrate and optimize the website by considering all the possibilities of future maintenance as well future integration of website. They are concerned that their website has to be user friendly, easy to locate and at the same time eye catchy which will clear the main objective of their business.

Webmasters have moved along with the changing technology and they are aware of new software’s like Jhoomla, Drupal and all the functionalities Fantastico Library as well wordpress. Infact some of the templates, which we see on wordpress and on some of the sebdesigning sites, have been created by these webmasters. They are the ones who have to possess all the repeated knowledge of software’s as they have to dupe many roles at the same time. They have to try their hands in painting, designing, layouts, hosting sites in networking as well server maintenance also.

They ought to have knowledge of different scripts and languages, which will improve their working credibility. These Webmasters are generating whatever tips we are getting for the proper use of technology.

A guest post by Bilal Ahmad write about seo, blogging and social media and review wordpress plugins like popup domination to help bloggers in increasing mailing list. He has also reviewed keyword winner plugin which helps in getting top SERP on search engines. Follow him on @techmaish

Webmaster Tips for Emerging Webmasters is a post from: Passionate Bloggers

These days the Internet is jam-packed with blogs. There are lots of distinct blog podiums at present and several of them are without charge. I do not observe any “awful” thing regarding utilizing a free blogging podium, in actual fact. On the other hand, sincere bloggers would inform you that it is greatly superior if you bring into play your personal domain. This is matched up to the URL that you have from a blogging podium at no cost. If you utilize WordPress, you will obtain a URL including WordPress in it, if you draw on Blogger, you will pick up a URL as Blogspot in it and all that.

On the contrary is that sufficient motive to acquire your individual domain? I reflect the same. It seems as well as gives the impression of being extra professional as well as “genuine” if you get your personal domain. In addition, for SEO objectives, keeping your individual domain provides you an upper hand.
Consequently what must you deem when opting for a domain pro your blog? If SEO is vital for you and also you like folks to find out your blog, it follows that you are supposed to confirm that your domain given name is key phrase rich. This does not signify that the URL ought to be lengthy – simply go for the correct words to submit there with regard to your blog as well as its subject matter.

This brilliant article is written by Saksham Talwar, who shares funny videos and funny clips in Vidzshare. Don’t forget to check his website!

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Blog, Domain and SEO! is a post from: Passionate Bloggers

Writing a blog is no more like what people used it before, as a personal diary. It has turned into a pure business! People now used to consider each and every factor if, it could help them in some-way or something. Almost everyone owns a blog these days or at least write some and I am sure some of them even has Network plans to get some more fame and money. Well, there’s nothing bad in earning by doing a small-blogs business. But all are not able to do it properly. Some are able to manage the network, while some aren’t. Some even give up in their blogging journey in six months only.

There could be several reasons for someone to quit the business down, maybe some personal matter, but most of the time the matter is financial one. Newbies start the business without creating a proper plan and finally end up with everything because of money crisis. Today I have been reading a review of an iPhone application at Extreme Trix and felt it should surely be shown up here too (as it may help many) – Powwownow.

About Application

The application is brought to you by Powwownow, a Conference Calls service company, which early used to provide free Web Conference earlier. This app allows user to make free conference calls, without being charged by the Data Plans.

How can it help bloggers?

I am sure! This question must be came in your mind. I think most of bloggers now own an iPhone or an iDevice for sure being a techie. Isn’t it? Using this application anyone can do free conference calls, check their profiles, not only this, but also can manage the details, which you would like to share with missed call users. This application could help bloggers in many cost cuttings as bloggers could now interact with their clients for free, could be able to promote their stuff and much more. Some of its features are:

• The application is free
• Missed call alerts (automatic).
• Free UK Conference calls.
• and much more..

You can download the application from official iTunes store by here.

How an iPhone app could help bloggers in cost cuttings? is a post from: Passionate Bloggers

Hundred of blogs are created and being added to blogosphere every day. And, every blogger dream of earning a lot of money blogging. But in reality most of the bloggers can’t even earn a decent amount which can compensate the efforts and hard work that they put into blogging. If you ask that is it possible to earn money blogging? The answer is – YES. If you blog consistently for few months, then you will definitely earn some money blogging. But if you ask that can I generate a full-time earning from blogging? The answer would be still Yes. But it is very less likely to happen. The statistics show that the majority of bloggers earn less that $10 per month which means that the majority of bloggers can’t even earn a part-time income from blogging.

Then should you quit blogging and start doing something else? Whether spending so much time blogging is worth it? Is it next to impossible to generate a full-time living blogging? No. Why? Well here are the few reasons that why you should not quit blogging even if you can’t earn anything from it now.

Building a successful blog takes time – It takes years to build successful blogs. Building a large archive of posts, a loyal readership base, domain authority in the eyes of search engines won’t happen overnight. So as a bloggers you should have a long-term view. Once you have built a loyal readership base it won’t take a lot of hard work in monetizing it.

Blogs are passive source of Income – Blogs are a partial passive source of income. Although, you have to update your blog at regular intervals but it doesn’t means that your blog won’t earn any money on the day you don’t update it. High quality posts of the blog keep on earning for years and once you’ve a sufficient number of such posts you can earn a passive income without putting lot of efforts.

Advertising is not the only way to earn – Well, Most of the bloggers can only think about advertising and affiliate marketing when it comes to monetizing their blogs. What they don’t realize is there are a lot of other ways too that can be used to earn a decent amount from their blogs. The most common way is to write an E-book. Write an E-book on topics related to your niche and promote it amongst your readers. One of the biggest examples is the ProBlogger E-book which earned $72,000 for him. Besides E-book, you can easily find a lot of freelance writing/marketing assignments from the companies that have the same target audience as of your blog.

No two blogs are Equal - Every now and again, bloggers keep on comparing their traffic and earning stats with other blogs. But they forgot to realize that no two blogs are equal. A blog, which is in finance niche is not equal to the blog in shopping niche even if they have same level of traffic. And, even if two blogs are in same niche, they won’t earn same despite of the same traffic levels because of the difference in writing style, visual appearance and content structure.

Blogging is not an easy Job and it becomes very difficult for a blogger to stand out from the crowd when millions of pages of content is being added to blogosphere every day. So keep trying and enjoy your blogging.

Also Read:  Make others feel you exist in this Blogosphere.

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[This is a guest post by Roger Rae, who is a freelance writer working for Fortepromo promotional products, a promotional tote bags company based in Minnesota. If you too would like to write for our blogs and get paid per post, please refer to this page.]

Can you earn Money Blogging? is a post from: Passionate Bloggers

The first page of your website which your visitor sees after clicking a PPC ad, link in your email or a search engine result is known as the landing page. Landing page is not always the homepage of your website it could be any page where you are directing most of your traffic with the aim of converting your visitors in to customers.

Why Landing pages are Important?

The success of your online marketing campaign to a large extent depends on the success and failure of your landing page. The more effective your landing pages are, more will be the conversion rate and more successful would be your marketing campaigns.

It doesn’t matter what methods you are using to get traffic – organic search engine traffic, PPC, email marketing or anything else, if your landing page can’t convince the visitor to take the desired action and convert them to customers then you are just wasting your money.

Here are some tips which will help you to create killer landing pages for your campaigns.

Make them relevant – Your landing pages should be relevant to the advertisements you are using to attract traffic. The traffic you get from PPC campaigns and other paid sources is highly relevant and is searching for specific products. Directing such kind of traffic to non relevant landing pages will confuse them and may compel them to turn away. If you are using multiple ads then create customized landing pages for each ad which focus on one offer only.

Proper positioning of call to action – Keep your call to action link above the fold so that it is easily visible to your visitors. Your call to action button should be relatively big as compared to other elements of your landing page. Use persuasive words on call to action button that can convince your users to take the action.

Focus on Customer Problems – Content of your landing page should focus on your customer problems. It should explain that how your product will solve their problems and will make their lives easier. Don’t fill entire landing pages with company history and your experience because customers are not interested in it. They are searching for solutions of their problems and if they can’t find it on your landing pages they will just turn away.

Eliminate distractions – Minimize the distractions on your landing pages. Don’t fill it with a lot of information or multiple offers that can confuse your visitors. Remove the links from your landing to other parts of your website which can distract your user mind. Control the content which your visitors can see and show them the things which you want them to see. Provide them with a suitable environment where they can take the decision which you want them to take.

Easy to Use – Keep your landing pages simple and user friendly. Avoid usage of flash, iframes, pop-ups, heavy images and other obtrusive elements which can increase its loading time. Make sure that your landing pages works well in all popular browsers in default settings and don’t require any custom software to work properly. Try to provide them with the simplest path for completing the desired action. If you want your users to complete a form then try to keep it as short as possible. Auto-populate fields wherever possible. If you are trying to sell a product then provide multiple ways of payment to pay so that they can use any method according to their convenience.

Also read: What your business website says about your business?

Test, Modify and Test Again – Create multiple versions of same landing page and run them simultaneously to find out which page converts better and why. There is always a scope of improvement and sometimes very small changes can create big differences. So keep analyzing the results, make changes and then analyze the new results again.

Also read: Importance of Landing Pages in Your Affiliate Campaigns.

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This post is guest post from David Smith, who is a freelance writer for conversion rate optimization company Invesp. Feel free to download free landing page templates of Invesp. If you too would like to write for Passionate Bloggers or any other blog or site in our network and get paid per post, join now!

Make killer Landing Pages! [HOW?] is a post from: Passionate Bloggers

The impact of social media on the behavior of your customers is increasing every day and nobody can deny it. According to stats, more than 90% of online consumers go to social media websites before buying a product and more than 50% of them take decisions on the basis of information they get from these social media websites, hence no business owner irrespective of the size, type or location of their business can afford to ignore the social media websites in their marketing strategy especially when nine out of your ten customers go to these websites before coming to you.

Although many businesses have already joined and created accounts on popular social networking websites, but still most of them are not able to leverage any kind of benefit from these sites, here we’ll discuss few of the reasons about why your social media strategy failed and what you should do to avoid such mistakes.

Using social media for broadcasting – Time and again, we see that most of the companies use their social networking accounts only for making new announcements related to their products and never participate in any kind of conversations. Social networking websites are created for doing conversations and your overall social media strategy fails at the moment when you stop participating in conversations with your target audience and start using your accounts as a medium to broadcast news related to your company.

Lacks of consistency – Many businesses join social networking websites with great expectations, but they stop updating your accounts when they can’t see quick results in form of new clients and increase revenues. Developing relationships on social media websites is a slow process. So have patience and don’t leave your social networking accounts unattended for months because nothing hurts your credibility more than when a user found your account which was not updated from a long time.

Having Nothing Valuable to Say – Your target audience expects you to be an expert in your niche when you are trying to sell something to them. Mostly, business owners don’t update their accounts for days because they can’t find anything that can be shared with their target audience. It gives bad signals to your target audience. So, if you want to establish yourself as an expert amongst them, make sure that you have something valuable to share with them.

When you stop behaving like a person – It is easier to develop a relationship with a human being as compared to building relationship with a company. Your potential customers will always prefer to buy from a friend instead of buying anything from a logo or a company. Make your social networking accounts as human as possible. Don’t limit yourself to product announcements or to conversations related to your products. Take a leap and start participating in conversations which are of interest to your potential buyer. It could be anything from sports to politics, movies to food. And Yes, Don’t forget to enjoy.

So there are the four mistakes which according to us can kill your overall social media campaigns, but we now want to know what more mistakes you think one should avoid on social networking sites. Please share your opinions in the comments below.

[This is a guest post by Roger Rae, who is a freelance writer working for Fortepromo promotional products, a promotional tote bags company based in Minnesota. If you too would like to write for our blogs and get paid per post, please refer to this page.]

When does Social Media strategy fails? is a post from: Passionate Bloggers