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Affordable WordPress Websites for Small Businesses

By on January 5, 2012 in !Randy Roedl Internet Marketing, affiliate marketing, wordpress, Wp Headers, Wp Themes

Affordable WordPress Websites for Small Businesses

Many small business owners are at the mercy of website designers and website developers. With high hourly rates, small business owners are held hostage when the website needs content updates or other minor changes. Why does this happen? Website designers and website developers know that if they create a website for their clients that is difficult to use and understand, the business owner will have to keep coming back to them for updates and modifications. Add this insult to the already astronomical price applied to having a new website designed and you can be thousands of dollars in the whole before your website reaches the one year mark.

WordPress offers a simpler, more affordable solution to small business websites.

The Benefits of a WordPress Website to Small Businesses

WordPress is a 100% FREE blogging / content management platform. That’s right, many of you may be surprised to read that it is completely free. Because WordPress is free, it has hundreds of thousands (possibly millions) of users. Furthermore, there is an army of web developers all working and contributing to make it more secure and to keep it up to date. As if that all wasn’t enough, there are thousands of free themes available to make your website look different from all of the others, and thousands more premium (usually costing under $100) themes available for purchase. Also due to the large number of users there are thousands of free and premium WordPress plugins available which can extend the functionality of WordPress beyond that of just a normal website. And, believe it or not, I haven’t gotten to the best part yet. WordPress has an admin section with a graphic user interface (GUI) which makes it possible for the web layperson to make updates and additions to their own website. I have numerous clients myself that are using the WordPress platform that login to their own websites and make updates and alterations without having to call me for support or spend a dime.

How Expensive are WordPress Websites

As mentioned previously, WordPress itself is free. However, there are still costs associated with setting up the WordPress website, Domain Registration, and Hosting for the website. If you’re not very good at learning new software you may want to consider having the person who sets up your WordPress website do some training with you. There also may be some need to have the web designer or web developer that is helping you make some modifications that may be too difficult for you, such as adding your business logo. On average, I’m able to get a client’s website online for between $400 and $500. Although, I have provided clients with websites for as little as $200.

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5 Benefits Of Choosing WordPress Themes

By on January 5, 2012 in !Randy Roedl Internet Marketing, affiliate marketing, wordpress, Wp Headers, Wp Themes

5 Benefits Of Choosing WordPress Themes

In Your Web Hosting The Internet may not be an actual location, but it is still a culture with its set of accepted norms. One such norm that has really made a difference in the way that sites look and operate is that of WordPress themes. If you’re looking for web hosting, and you find a service that cannot support WordPress themes, then it’s probably best to turn and run. WordPress has become the standard for a pleasant reading and viewing experience.

What once was a blog only aesthetic has turned into a whole method of operation for many popular web pages around the globe. Why is this format so popular? Probably because of its amazing benefits. Quality websites built by dummies. Okay, maybe not dummies, but you get the point. WordPress makes it easy for those with very limited knowledge to step in to page building on day one and finish their work with some quality pages they can be proud of.

Through a combination of easy to follow text formatting procedures and photo integration, a web page can have color and intelligence from day one. Full customization available. Not every person who steps behind WordPress is a dummy. Some users work great with HTML programming language and are capable of creating something more unique and customized than the standard template allows. If you fit into this category, you do not have to be a slave to the cut and dry formatting. You can switch over to HTML mode with the click of a button and work your magic.

The ability to distinguish your posts. When you create a post for a WordPress site or blog, you do not have to worry about it getting lost in the shuffle. Through deep linking, tagging, and search functions, users can always recall the posts from days gone by. Reader appreciation. Sites created using this format are often some of the most pleasurable to view on the entire Internet. And since most sites are using this style today anyway, you’re earning trust and respect in your own little way. Author management features. Most successful blogs employ different voices in the creation of content.

This keeps things from feeling too lopsided or stagnant. Authors have their needs, too. One of the best features of WordPress is that an author can manage unwritten assignments with previously published. This allows him to know what’s on the horizon, and it gives him easy access to show off his samples to other potential employers. Web hosting that supports these themes is the kind that you want in your corner because it shows that the company managing your site is forward thinking and aware of the trends. And when it comes to the Internet, you always want to have your eyes on the road ahead.

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Getting People to Your New WordPress Website

By on January 3, 2012 in !Randy Roedl Internet Marketing, affiliate marketing, wordpress, Wp Headers, Wp Themes

Getting People to Your New WordPress Website

So you’ve got your website up and now you’re ready to get some people reading it. First Tip:Write content that people are looking for and that is targeted to your website’s purpose. Fill your website with high-quality information that serves a purpose and provides high value at the same time. People come to the internet looking for information,entertainment or to find the answer to a problem – do any combination of these three things on a regular basis and you’re sure to have a hit on your hands. Second Tip:Decide with a clear set of goals what you want to use your website for. Will it be to draw traffic to a service?

To make money through affiliate marketing? To sell your own products? Or a bit of all of the above. Third Tip:Get out there and let people know your website exists! I’m not going to cover the dozens and dozens of ways to get traffic here. You need to build a plan you can follow and one that works for you.Understand that just because you build a website that doesn’t mean people will automatically find it. A few ways to get your website found are: –

Website Directories: There are many paid and free directories available on the internet you can submit your website to. – Leave Comments on Blogs: Commenting on blog brings you both traffic as well as incoming links if the blog has the no-follow attribute disabled. – Links from other sites: Links from popular websites is a good way to get both traffic and links as well. – Writing articles for other websites: By writing articles for popular websites you can build your reputation as an expert and increase traffic. – Link from your products: If you sell any physical or information products be sure to always make your website known on them. –

Your Email Signature: You probably email a lot of people every single week. Get your website address at the bottom of those emails to get more people to your site. – Social Media Sites like Twitter and Facebook: Social media is all the rage these days and it can help you build relationships that translate into website exposure. – Partner Up With another High Profile Website Owner: There are many ways you can partner with a website owner to create a mutually beneficial promote. Just get creative! Set your goals, stick to them and you’ll start to see your efforts pay off as you build a website that people love to come back to again and again.

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Know About WordPress Themes

By on January 3, 2012 in !Randy Roedl Internet Marketing, affiliate marketing, wordpress, Wp Headers, Wp Themes

Know About WordPress Themes

It is an age where people of all age are into blogging. A lot of people today not just write blogs but also promote and earn money from blogs. The most popular application used by people for blogging is WordPress. It is an open source blog publishing application which is powered by PHP and MySQL. Considered to be extremely user friendly and having the facility of advanced template system, making it easy to use.

WordPress is pretty popular among all the age groups because of the fact that it’s easy to access new themes or rather change the appearance of the blog at the click of a mouse. There are a lot of websites that offer free WordPress themes to make the blog look good and match the content written in it. Similarly one can also find a number of WordPress templates which help in making the work of writing the blog easier. Since the template is already present, all one needs to do is type in the content and the blog is ready. There are also a number of sites that help in designing your own WordPress themes.

WordPress application can also be used as a Content Management System (CMS). CMS is a document centric application which is used to manage documents. This system is used in managing the documents especially websites and web content. This system is extremely flexible and hence quite a favorite among people. There are quite a few people who are already using WordPress as a CMS. This system also allows using different looks for different categories. Using custom templates helps in changing the content and look of the different categories on the page.

Changing it into CMS helps in customizing the administration panel as well the themes. WordPress normally has the posts arranged chronologically but with CMS this control lies in the hands of the user. CMS also makes it possible to add multimedia files like pictures, videos etc. to the WordPress CMS site. To enhance the interactivity, one can also add elements to the site. This is not all; one can also add mailing lists to the site and also enhance e-commerce by adding advertisements to the WordPress CMS site. These sites help in controlling the administrator’s rights or user’s roles. This means one can control their multiple accounts and comments too. On WordPress CMS sites one can have multiple plugins which will help enhance the website.

Using WordPress as a CMS gives the user freedom to use the website as per his preferences. The use of CMS helps in keeping the website in good shape and also makes sure that the website doesn’t get monotonous. The various themes are the solution to that. All in all, using it as a Content Management System makes the entire process of blogging more flexible, easy and fun to use. With the plugins and other elements that can be added one can be assured that the website is very effective in conveying the purpose. Combining it with CMS not only makes the website worthwhile but also very effective.

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WordPress Website – Using the WordPress Dashboard

By on January 1, 2012 in !Randy Roedl Internet Marketing, affiliate marketing, wordpress, Wp Headers, Wp Themes

WordPress Website – Using the WordPress Dashboard

I would like to congratulate you on building your WordPress website and commend you for the actions you have taken to get Your Home Biz up and running the easiest way.

In this article and video I am going to explain the WordPress Dashboard. After logging into your WordPress website you will be on what is known as the WordPress Dashboard. From the dashboard is where you can finish setting up your WordPress website and access all the features WordPress has to offer.

So let’s get started.

In the very top line you will see the name of your website in the area to the right. You will also see a box with an arrow that says new post. This is where you can go directly to other features in WordPress which I will explain in future articles. You will also see Howdy (whatever name you chose). Next you will see a log out area (this is where you can log out of your dashboard). Finally you will see two tabs under the first line and over to the left. Screen Options and arrow and Help. The Screen options area allows you to change the look of your dashboard and I recommend leaving it as is for now. The Help section is where you can go to get help with your WordPress dashboard.

Now sometimes you will see a yellow box under the top line saying you can update your website to the most recent version. If you see this box I recommend clicking on it and then clicking on the Auto Update section. This keeps your website up to date with WordPress.

Underneath the above information you will see your screen divided into two sections. The first over to the right is a column (under the dashboard box) that takes you to all of the features WordPress has. The larger second section labeled Dashboard is basically a section to keep you up to date with WordPress information.

Before I go into the explanations I would like to recommend to you to set your WordPress website up with the Networking feature. This will give you the ability to create subdomains from your WordPress dashboard. For those of you not knowing what a subdomain is I will explain. A subdomain is like creating a whole new website. Your main domain will be Your Domain Name.xxx and a subdomain would be xxxx.Your Domain Name.xxx. This gives you the ability to set many websites up under one domain name. You can visit WordPress at codex.WordPress.org/Create_A_Network for the complete details. I am also going to give you a part of the WordPress directions below.

Create a Network

“”As of WordPress 3.0, you have the ability to create a network of sites (Multisite). This article is instructions for creating a network. It is very similar to creating your own personal version of WordPress.com

NOTE: If you are currently running WordPress MU, you do not need to complete these steps. your network is already enabled. Once you upgrade to the 3.x branch, you will be prompted to update your.htaccess rules for MultiSite.

Alert! If you have upgraded to WordPress 3.1, the Super Admin menu has been replaced with the Network Admin section. Look on your admin HEADER on the far right: it will say “”Howdy, YOURNAME – Network Admin – Log Out””. The link is ‘Network Admin.'””

If you activate the network option you will get an additional box in the first line. This box next to the Log Out box will say either Site Admin or Network Admin. Because you have activated the network option you will now have the option to use the dashboard as the Network Admin (everything you do from here has effects on all your sites) or as the Site Admin (everything from here is for one particular site). When you are in the Network Admin dashboard it will say Site Admin next to the Log out box and when you are in the Site Admin Dashboard it will say Network Admin in the box next to the Log out box.

I will give a quick overview of the column under the dashboard box when you are using the Network Admin dashboard (I will go into greater detail of every option in future articles). If you have activated the networking feature you will a section title Sites. This is where you can view all the sites you have built in WordPress under the one domain name.

Next you will see a Users section. This is where you can setup different users for your WordPress website and control what access they have.

The next section is Themes. In this area you have the ability to change the design of your website and control a lot of what people see on your website. Once again I would like to state I will be doing more articles and videos explaining these in detail.

The next section is Plugins. This is where you can install different plugins to make your WordPress website have more features and perform other tasks for you.

The next section is settings and this is where you can set different settings specific to your needs and once again I will state that I will explain these in future articles and videos.

The final section is updates and this is where you can get updates for your WordPress website and updates for features you are using

Now I will explain the column on the left under the dashboard box when you are in the Site Admin dashboard. From this dashboard you will be able to work on one particular site.

The first box will be sites if you have activated the Network option and this is where you can see all the sites you have or create a new one. You will not see this line if you have not activated the Network option.

The next line will be Posts and this is where you can post information to your main page and continue adding new content.

Next is Media and this is where you can incorporate media features into your site.

The next line is Links and this is where you can see where your website is linked to.

Next is Pages and this is where you can add new pages to your website and edit any pages you have already created.

Next is Comments and this is where you can view and control any comments that have been posted on your WordPress Website.

The next line is Appearance and this is where you can control the design and features of your website.

Next is Plugins and this is where you can add, enable and disable the plugins you have chosen to use for your website.

The next line is Tools and this is where you have access to any tools that are used in your WordPress website.

The final line is Settings and this is where you have many options to make your website the way you want it to be.

This has been a longer article than I really expected but I really believe it is crucial for you to understand the dashboard and how I believe it is in your best interest to set your WordPress website up with the Network option.

I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you view my next article.

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must-have-tools-for-webmasters

By on December 31, 2011 in !Randy Roedl Internet Marketing, Blog Business, wordpress, Wp Headers, Wp Themes

Must have tools for a webmaster

There are some must have tools for webmasters. And these are the tools that you will see in the computers of each and every experienced webmaster. If you are new to these things, then you might not be having these tools installed in your system.

Let’s start with the web browser. One of the best web browsers at the moment is Mozilla Firefox. It can be downloaded for free. The tools that we are going to mention here are actually plug ins of Firefox browser. When you install these plugins, your browser will become a much more intelligent browser than it was earler when it was with no plugins at all.

Page Rank Checking Plugin

A page rank checker can be integrated into your firefox browser by installing any page rank checking plugin. You will see a lot of such plugins and you may choose any one of them to install in your browser. The primary aim of installing a page rank checker is to view the page rank of sites that we open in the browser. So, you can download and install any plugin that does the above job.

Alexa Rank checking Plugin

How would you be knowing by seeing the design of the site whether its a reputed website or not? It can’t be founded that way. But if you are with the traffic details of the site- then you’ll be getting an idea about the popularity of the site. This is an extremely useful tool since you will come across a lot of sites as a webmaster and finding good ones from them won’t be easy without this cool tool. So, like we said above, you can download and install any plugin that does the above job – ie, displaying the alexa rank of sites that we’ll be opening in our firefox browser.

If you are having the above two tools, then you will able to filter out the good ones that are with decent traffic and page rank from the rest of the sites. This way, before ordering something from a site, you’ll be able to make out whether it is a good one to use your credit card or not.

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