Probably the most popular blog software (sometimes also referred to as a CMS) in use today is Wordpress which is offered both as free software you can install on your own server or site hosting, and also as a web based service (again free) which requires no installation – you just fill in a form and click a button to get your very own wordpress blog online and ready to use.
- WordPress.com – this is the web based service where you can signup for free and get a blog with an address (URL) in the form: http://yourcatchyname.wordpress.com and for a hobby blog this is fine but for serious internet marketing you will need your own domain name such as http://bankofhome.com You can actually pay a fee to WordPress to use your own domain name with their service but it is generally far better to have your own copy of the WordPress software installed on your server where you have more control and fewer restrictions.
- WordPress.org – this is where you can download your own free copy of WordPress to install anywhere you like. Installation is quite easy once you are familiar with the basics of web site hosting and they provide a “5 minute install” guide. With an installed copy of WordPress you will need your own domain name so people can find your blog online.
Once you have your wordpress blog installed you then choose a theme (how it looks) from the many which are available free or for a small fee, or you can get a custom theme made by a designer. You can also install a number of plugins which extend wordpress by adding new functions such as better search engine optimization, integration with social sites (Twitter, Facebook etc) and countless other handy features. All of this can be done through the WordPress admin panel – no messing around with the command line, just a nice simple point and click through the panel.
This is the beauty of a powerful CMS such as WordPress which has been around for long enough to mature and become what it is today – once installed it is trivial to manage your entire site, even multiple sites, everything from changing the design to adding new content and even updating wordpress itself is done through the web panel. After all, the purpose of a website or blog is for you to place your great content online so you can make money – not to waste your time with technical trivialities.
While WordPress does a pretty good job of hiding the complexities of site building and running, it still requires some knowledge to make the best of it and it is actually highly customizable and powerful in the right hands. It is undoubtedly worth taking some time to learn how it all works since your entire internet marketing business could very well depend on this one piece of free software! Fortunately the wily folks at Wiley, publishers of the “for Dummies” books have released “WordPress for Dummies” which explains pretty much everything you need to know about WordPress.
Don’t be put off by the 3 star review currently showing here as it is for the recently published 5th edition and it only has one review/rating there so far which is not too representative. Fortunately you can see there are lots of positive reviews on the 4th edition which has a respectable 4 star rating and it really is a decent book which I highly recommend to anyone wishing to get into making money online – your future prosperity is at stake!
Our free downloadable ebook provides much more info about the fundamentals of internet marketing, including domains, web hosting, html, content, traffic, income and plenty more. Just enter your email address in the box on the side and you can download the ebook AND get our free ezine which contains lots of money making tips & tricks that anyone can use after learning the basics, all of which we explain in the ebook.