» Blogger

I know that there is a lot of information on this blog about the Wordpress platform, but, I don’t want you Blogger platform users to think I forgot about you - I haven’t! So today, I’m back to give you Blogger platform users a few great resources to improve your Blogger blog look.

Below, I’ve included a few really unique and great Blogger Template websites which will change up the design and look of your blog. It’s a very simply process to do if you’ve never done it before. Click HERE for a step by step process on how to change your template on Blogger. Now, be aware, that when you do change your template on the Blogger platform you quite possibly will lose your sidebar widets, so make sure you back them if if you want them to remain intact with your new template. You don’t have that issue with Wordpress, which is why I recommend it, but you should be aware of that before you go through with the change.

Anyway,  here are the websites that will help your Blogger blog look incredibly fancy! (Click the name of the website to have a new window open up)

1) Blogger Styles - The templates/themes here are rated by you, the user, and ranked accordingly. A very cool website with a ton of styles.

2) Ipietoon - This website has some very unique templates/themes, and range from futuristic looks to sweet mommy blog styles. If you’re looking for something different from the normal, do visit them.

3) Blogger Templates - They offer a large selection of exclusive (as in, not duplicated to Wordpress, etc) themes and templates here that you won’t see on any other platform.

4) Zone Cerebral - This is actually a Spanish language site, but, I’ve translated it into English for you when you click on the link. It’s unknown to many English bloggers, but, they have a large variety of Blogger templates/themes that are converted from Wordpress themes. So, if you’ve seen a Wordpress blog you liked before, check them out to see if they have it.

Hopefully you’ll be able to find a few themes/templates you like from the above sites. And when you do choose to go through this process, try a variety of themes out. Just because it looks nice in a demo doesn’t mean it will look great on your blog, or vice versa. You have the ability, so, try a few out!

Although many people use the Wordpress platform for their blogs, the second largest platform used is Blogger. Each platform has their own pro’s and con’s, but one thing a lot of Blogger platform users have complained about in the past is the lack of customization when it comes to the design of their blogs.

That complaint is no longer an issue as many websites and blogs dedicated to Blogger Templates (templates are pre-made custom files that change the way your blog looks and appears) are now appearing all over the web.

Recently articles at BloggingTips.com and BloggerBuzz.com caught my eye with the influx of blogs and websites dedicated to providing free Blogger templates for your Blogger blogs.

Below I have included five amazing resources that will provide you with endless free templates for your Blogger blogs. I should note that in this posting you might see references to “themes” and “templates”. Both of these terms are nearly identical, the only difference being that a “theme” might also include other graphics such as buttons, etc in the graphic file.

1) B-Templates: Online since March of 2008, B-Templates boosts one of, if not the largest amount of free Blogger tempaltes on the internet. The navigation is very clear and you can even search by popularity to see what other bloggers are downloading. To visit B-Templates, click here.

2) GosuBlogger: One of the most interesting things about GosuBlogger is that they provide Blogger Templates/Themes that are “copies” of Wordpress themes. Wordpress themes are well known for their “wow” factors so being able to modify a plain Blogger template/theme is quite an accomplishment. If you’re a fan of Wordpress design structure, then GosuBlogger is the place for you. To visit GosuBlogger, click here.

3) The Cutest Blog On The Block: If you’re familiar with the blog 2 Moms Talk, then you’ll be familiar with The Cutest Blog On The Block as it’s operated by the same two women, Becky and Ashley. They offer a large variety of free and even customizable Blogger templates. To visit The Cutest Blog On The Blog, click here.

4) All Blogspot Templates: Okay, I know the name might throw you off as Blogspot was once their own platform, but they’ve merged with Google who owns Blogger. So now, whatever works on Blogger works on Blogspot and vice versa. All Blogspot Templates provide a large index of templates and themes that are sortable by colums (1, 2, or 3 columed blog themes) as well as Google Ad-Sense ready templates where you simply add your AdSense ID into the pre-made theme and it will work automatically. To visit All Blogspot Templates, click here.

5) BlogCrowds: While relatively new, BlogCrowds is a community based website that provides a useful forum that allows people to share new and interesting Blogger templates and themes, many of which are user submitted. To visit BlogCrowds, click here.

When it comes to free blogging platforms, there are really only two legitimate companies to look at – Wordpress and Blogger. While there are some other companies out there (who do have some nice features), if you want your blog to be taken seriously, you really only need to look at Wordpress and Blogger. So, once you’ve decided it’s between the two – which one do you pick? Well, we’re going to save you some time and do the research for you.

First off, the most important thing you need to know off the bat, is Wordpress.com and Wordpress.org are two different things. Wordpress.com is the Wordpress platform, but, it is hosted on the Wordpress servers, and your website URL will feature wordpress.com in it, for example, www.mysitename.wordpress.com. The downfalls to using the Wordpress.com platform is a lack of a true URL, some missing/limited features compared to the Wordpress.org platform, and if you have ANY intentions of making any money, you won’t be able to with Wordpress.com. The plus side however, is, it’s totally free – unlike Wordpress.org where you will have to pay a hosting fee if you don’t have your own server (but it’s very cheap…a couple dollars a month). So, if you’re looking to make any type of money with advertisements or sponsored content/postings, simply use the Wordpress.org platform.

So – okay – with that miniature discussion out of the way, we’re now back on topic between Wordpress and Blogger platforms – and which one is better for you?

Let us start with Blogger, which is owned and operated by powerhouse Google. When it comes to the overall ease of using a blogging platform, Blogger seems to beat Wordpress.com, but only by a slight margin. The learning curve isn’t as steep with Blogger, when compared to Wordpress.com, but much of that is simply because Blogger is missing so many extra features that Wordpress.com and .org have. If you spend the few extra minutes to learn about Wordpress.com or .org’s platform, compared to Blogger, you will be much happier in the long run. And I can say in all honesty, if you start with Blogger, in due time, you will move onto Wordpress.org as you advance in your skills….and will be very happy you did so. In that same breath, Wordpress.com and Blogger match up very well, but Blogger does have an easier approach for a beginner…but as mentioned above, whatever platform you pick, you’ll probably move onto Wordpress.org’s platform.

As far as design is concerned, each platform can be modified with pre-made themes (a theme is the graphical part of your blog), though there really again is no competition with Wordpress.org as there are so many ways to customize your blog, via a theme or your own CSS ability if you are skilled in that way. I have seen some very nice themes however for Blogger as well. Between Wordpress.com and Blogger, I think Blogger wins hand down on design and blogger ability to customize, but neither stack up against Wordpress.org in the least bit.

From a promotion stand point, both versions of Wordpress outduel Blogger, simply because Wordpress (both .com and .org) have a variety of ways that allow for postings to be properly promoted with tags, keywords, etc, unlike Blogger which is lacking on these features. Blogger is owned by Google, which does help with potential SEO (Search Engine Optimization), but, the benefit really isn’t that great. If you’re a good blog, regardless of platform, you’re going to have visitors.

In terms of making money, neither platform is one you want to use, and if you do want to make money then you simply need to skip both Wordpress.com and Blogger, and move directly to Wordpress.org. With Wordpress.org, you are free to do whatever you want in terms of making money, be it via advertisements, paid postings, etc. You are very limited with Blogger and Wordpress.com in this regard.

So, when all is said and done, what’s the end result? If you’re a new blogger, and aren’t that computer savvy right now, Blogger might be better for you. Blogger blogs are very customizable and the entire format is broken down into a much simpler form. They have a very flexible platform, so, if you know how to type, it’s as simple as pushing the “submit” button to write a blog posting. However, the only reason I would recommend Blogger is for the new blogger, trying to get a better understanding of the blogging world.

If in time, you do make the decision to move onto Wordpress.org from Blogger or Wordpress.com, you’ll find the transition very smooth. In the Wordpress.org platform, there will be an option in the Settings tab that will allow you to import your old Wordpress.com or Blogger posts from your blog.

Wordpress.com is a more advanced platform for those with a little more computer and blogging skills, and overall just a better platform to use when compared with Blogger. Michael Sync took the time out to have a standardized checklist in which he runs through the features between Wordpress.com and Blogger blogs, which you can find here. If you’re looking to have your own blog, without worrying about the need to host it, and want a more advanced (and better looking blog) than you’d find on Blogger, than Wordpress.com is the one you’re looking for.

With all of that said though, neither Blogger nor Wordpress.com should even be in the conversation with Wordpress.org, as Wordpress.org is the premier blogging platform in the market right now. It’s 100% customizable, allows the blogger to make money in a variety of ways, has hundreds of thousands of “plugins” (a plugin is a user created piece of code that can be easily added to your site with a single mouse click which results into extra functionallity for your blog) which allow you to pretty much make your blog one of a kind, and simply is the best platform ever introduced into the blogging community. If you’re a serious blogger, you’re using Wordpress.org – and one way another, you’ll eventually be using the Wordpress.org platform if you’re not currently. So, my recommendation is to get yourself a hosting package, and download the FREE Wordpress.org platform, and start playing around with it. In a very short amount of time, you’ll be well schooled simply from trial and error, and will master the art of blogging. If you’re interested in the Wordpress.org platform, here is a link.

Let’s face it - we all want more traffic. It’s the thing that motivates us to better our blogs. Seomoz.org has a very interesting article that gives us bloggers 21 tips on how to create more blog traffic.

A considerable portion of my consulting time has recently revolved around the optimization of corporate blogs (or the addition of blogs to revamped sites). As usual, I find a pattern emerging in the strategies that need attention and the pitfalls that must be avoided. So, rather than charging $400 an hour to give advice on the subject, I thought it would be valuable to share many of the most common pieces of advice here on the blog (business part of Rand fights with open source Rand, but loses, as usual).

1. Choose the Right Blog Software (or Custom Build)
   The right blog CMS makes a big difference. If you want to set yourself apart, I recommend creating a custom blog solution - one that can be completely customized to your users. In most cases, WordPress, Blogger, MovableType or Typepad will suffice, but building from scratch allows you to be very creative with functionality and formatting. The best CMS is something that’s easy for the writer(s) to use and brings together the features that allow the blog to flourish. Think about how you want comments, archiving, sub-pages, categorization, multiple feeds and user accounts to operate in order to narrow down your choices. OpenSourceCMS is a very good tool to help you select a software if you go that route.
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2. Host Your Blog Directly on Your Domain
   Hosting your blog on a different domain from your primary site is one of the worst mistakes you can make. A blog on your domain can attract links, attention, publicity, trust and search rankings - by keeping the blog on a separate domain, you shoot yourself in the foot. From worst to best, your options are - Hosted (on a solution like Blogspot or Wordpress), on a unique domain (at least you can 301 it in the future), on a subdomain (these can be treated as unique from the primary domain by the engines) and as a sub-section of the primary domain (in a subfolder or page - this is the best solution).
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3. Write Title Tags with Two Audiences in Mind
   First and foremost, you’re writing a title tag for the people who will visit your site or have a subscription to your feed. Title tags that are short, snappy, on-topic and catchy are imperative. You also want to think about search engines when you title your posts, since the engines can help to drive traffic to your blog. A great way to do this is to write the post and the title first, then run a few searches at Overture, WordTracker & KeywordDiscovery to see if there is a phrasing or ordering that can better help you to target “searched for” terms.
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4. Participate at Related Forums & Blogs
   Whatever industry or niche you’re in, there are bloggers, forums and an online community that’s already active. Depending on the specificity of your focus, you may need to think one or two levels broader than your own content to find a large community, but with the size of the participatory web today, even the highly specialized content areas receive attention. A great way to find out who these people are is to use Technorati to conduct searches, then sort by number of links (authority). Del.icio.us tags are also very useful in this process, as are straight searches at the engines (Ask.com’s blog search in particular is of very good quality).
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5. Tag Your Content
   Technorati is the first place that you should be tagging posts. I actually recommend having the tags right on your page, pointing to the Technorati searches that you’re targeting. There are other good places to ping - del.icio.us and Flickr being the two most obvious (the only other one is Blogmarks, which is much smaller). Tagging content can also be valuable to help give you a “bump” towards getting traffic from big sites like Reddit, Digg & StumbleUpon (which requires that you download the toolbar, but trust me - it’s worth it). You DO NOT want to submit every post to these sites, but that one out of twenty (see tactic #18) is worth your while.
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6. Launch Without Comments (and Add Them Later)
   There’s something sad about a blog with 0 comments on every post. It feels dead, empty and unpopular. Luckily, there’s an easy solution - don’t offer the ability to post comments on the blog and no one will know that you only get 20 uniques a day. Once you’re upwards of 100 RSS subscribers and/or 750 unique visitors per day, you can open up the comments and see light activity. Comments are often how tech-savvy new visitors judge the popularity of a site (and thus, its worth), so play to your strengths and keep your obscurity private.
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7. Don’t Jump on the Bandwagon
   Some memes are worthy of being talked about by every blogger in the space, but most aren’t. Just because there’s huge news in your industry or niche DOES NOT mean you need to be covering it, or even mentioning it (though it can be valuable to link to it as an aside, just to integrate a shared experience into your unique content). Many of the best blogs online DO talk about the big trends - this is because they’re already popular, established and are counted on to be a source of news for the community. If you’re launching a new blog, you need to show people in your space that you can offer something unique, different and valuable - not just the same story from your point of view. This is less important in spaces where there are very few bloggers and little online coverage and much more in spaces that are overwhelmed with blogs (like search, or anything else tech-related).

To see the rest of the article click the link below:

Resource: http://www.seomoz.org/blog/21-tactics-to-increase-blog-traffic