How Realistic is the Business Model of a “Professional Blogger”

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Plenty of new and seasoned webmasters are getting on the “blog wagon”. But is it all that great as a revenue producing strategy? Is it possible to make a good income, even replacing your current job? How should blogging really be used, and what should be the focus of your blog? Basically, the question is “how realistic is the business model of a professional blogger”?

Before we begin our analysis, right off the top we should say, that professional blogging is not a bad business model. In fact, there are thousands of successful bloggers making incredible amounts of money from their blogs, but in reality in proportion to the number of blogs on the internet, very few make real money. The biggest problem can be traced back to what a blog was meant to be. It was a “web log”, a journal or diary of sorts where an individual could talk about her daily activities, and loyal followers came to watch her progress.

Blogging WOmen

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Review: Google Adsense

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Google AdSense is the publisher’s side of Google’s advertising program. The other side is AdWords. The two programs work hand in hand where advertisers pay Google to run their ads as sponsored links on the Google search engine and on approved publisher websites. Google, then rewards qualified publishers by paying them a portion of the ad revenue in return for potential customers or leads. This program is called AdSense.

People who run developed websites, either through their own domain names or through one of the free blogs, are called publishers. They publish content and maybe sell products of their own or from affiliate programs. Generally speaking, the content must have some value to users, at which time, the publisher or webmaster may apply for a Google AdSense account. Google’s team will review the site for eligibility and then either approve or deny the application. As the long as the site is deemed appropriate, it will be approved. Examples of sites that are not acceptable to Google are adult related sites, sites selling illegal products or services, sites that promote hatred or prejudice, and sites that appear to have been made solely for the purpose of earning AdSense revenue. These sites are called MFA (Made for AdSense) and normally are poor in quality with little or no understandable content.

Once the webmaster is approved to the program, she logs in to her account and finds various ways to promote the ads that other businesses run on Google’s network. Currently, the choices are word ads, word and image ads combined, image only ads, link units (list of four or five keyword links leading to a search page), site search, and ads for feeds. Other options exist but not everyone is approved to use them right away.

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Is unlimited bandwidth just a web hosting myth?

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There are many different myths floating around the internet about free and unlimited offers. When it comes to web hosting, there are quite a few companies that offer unlimited bandwidth for a low monthly price. This guarantee, accompanied by unlimited space and domains cannot possibly be real, could it? Looking further into the web hosting small print, the truth will finally come out.

In the highly competitive web hosting market, companies have to use whatever means they have to grab customers. The current trend has pushed these web host companies to offer unlimited everything. People that this as they see it. Unlimited means as much as we want when we want it right? Unfortunately this is not the case. Everything that is offered with a unlimited icon has a point where it is no longer allowed. It is easy to understand why they can’t allow true unlimited bandwidth for such a low price.

bandwithIf the web hosts were to remove the caps put on each user on a server, than a single user could use up all the CPU power and bandwidth on themselves, and cause all other uses on the server to crash. This is a huge risk, especially with the other guarantee of 99.9% uptime. To counteract this inevitable outcome, web hosts have given a generous amount of bandwidth, but they still keep it in perspective. This is a business, and it is impossible to make a profit when someone tries to extort your service.

Other claims, such as the unlimited domain hosting only add to undercut the unlimited bandwidth. Up until a certain point, the amount of sites you host won’t take up too much bandwidth. When you begin to host dozens to hundreds of different web sites, there is no way your cheap web hosting plan can suffice. Eventually, each site will take up enough bandwidth to put you over your designated cap. At that point, all of your sites could experience downtime. This can be a huge problem, especially when a large number of your sites are hosted on the same server.

All of these things come down to common sense. There would be no need for larger plans if the cheaper plans were truly unlimited. With an uncapped populous of users that continuously grow their usage, the only choice left is to force upgrades. Next time you are conned into believing everything that is advertised, look into the fine print. Normally the usage rights are listed out clearly so that users have no way to complain they were misled.

Unfortunately for most people, they overlook these simple laid out rules of use. Next time you are asked to agree to terms of service, remember to read through most of it to see what you are agreeing to. If you fail to do this before purchasing, there is nothing left for you to do when you unexpectedly get capped. Use common sense, read everything before signing, and know your limits. Following these rules will ensure you are never mystified by the cunning offers in front of you.

cPanel: a Web Hosting Must?

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Journeying into the world of web hosting, you have come across a universal law. Your web host must have cPanel. But what is cPanel? For those that are brand new to building websites and choosing web hosting, this is time to pay attention. cPanel is an advanced control panel that is used to manage your web site. The ease of use is unmatched, with a graphical interface that allows users to easily move from task to task, without ever feeling lost. This is much easier for newcomers than in the past when you were forced to use command line actions.

cpanel logoSo why is this a web hosting must you ask? There are many advantages to using cPanel. You can easily maneuver through your email, sub domains, FTP, and web stats. Each of these tasks is marked by easy to see icons, which allow even the newest webmaster to use them without any prior knowledge. This is one of the reasons that cPanel is the most popular web hosting control panel. Anyone can learn the system within hours, and can glide through all tasks associated with their website within minutes.

Other powerful additions to the cPanel interface have put it into another league compared with its competitors. Most web hosts currently have Fantastico which runs within the cPanel. Fantastico is an auto installer that can quickly and easily install php based scripts within your hosting. Themes like WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla are quickly and effortlessly installed without the need for FTP. A few quick forms and your website’s backbone is completely set up. This addition is a powerful ally to any serious webmaster.

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How does my Web Hosting affect my Search Engine Rankings?

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Often, webmasters do not understand or do not realize the connection between web hosting and search engine rankings. And it may seem normal or widespread to discount the correlation but in reality, it is also disastrous. If you want to make the most out of your online endeavor, you need to understand that the actions of external companies directly affect your search engine rankings. And although you may say that you have no control over other people’s behavior, you have more control than you think, and must react accordingly in order to assure your earnings and prevent your income from slipping through the cracks.

statisticsUnquestionably, there are many excellent hosts around the world. But for every honest one, there are infinitely more dishonest companies just trying to make a buck. Their intention is not one of support to its clients but rather, how many clients they can get on the same server. Quantity means money to them. But as they make their monthly fees from you and hundreds others like you, your sales commissions are flying out the window like the heat in your house through a drafty door.

Specifically, you are losing traffic and sales because your positions in the search engines are not where they are supposed to be. And this is a difficult concept to grapple because you cannot quantify what you have lost or how you lost it. You just intuitively know that your web hosting has affected your search engine rankings.

One of the ways in which your web hosting affects search engine rankings is the downtime. Have you ever checked your websites during the night? Are they live or are they so slow, they may as well be down? This is common. If you cannot access your websites, then neither can the search engines. And if the search engines cannot crawl through your site, they have no idea what you are offering. So when it comes time to return results for a particular phrase, you will not be listed in those results.

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Changing web hosts: what not to forget?

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You thought long and hard about this and you decided that you want to change web hosts. Perhaps your current web host has been found out to be unreliable or it’s simply not up to par for you. No matter what the reason may be, there are some things that you need to know and remember before doing so. First of all, it’s not going to be a simple quick task. This is something that will require your time, patience, and of course some research.

Let’s start off by discussing picking out web hosts. When picking out another web host, you need to make sure that the new web host will have everything that you need for your website. If you just randomly pick a new web host before doing research, I’m sure that you will be unsatisfied when it comes to putting everything together. If it is easier for you, write out a list of everything that you need to have from the host and then you can match it up with the company. If you write everything down, it will make it harder for you to leave something out.

Changing webhostingInform your clients that you will be switching web hosts. You can do this by adding a note on your page, sending out a newsletter, or even making a blog. You are not only doing this out of courtesy, but also showing your clients that you are loyal to them and still would like them to remain your clients.

Before you start moving or deleting anything off of your page, you need to back up all your files for your website. In most cases, it is just better to have two backups as opposed to one, in case one gets lost or broken, you have the other. You have to prepare for the worst so when something does go wrong and you lose your files, you won’t need to fret because you will already have it taken care of. Do not completely get rid of the site that you are switching from, keep it as a backup-plan for the worst case scenario so you have a plan already.

When you move your domain name from an old one to a new one, this will be easy to do if your new host is a registrar. It can take up to several days for this to be completed, so keep this in mind. Make sure that you receive the authorization code from your old domain registrar so that you can move it to the new one. Once you put in the e-mail that you used to sign up the domain with, all you will have to do is click on a link and the transfer is made.

Changing web hosts can be easily done but you have to keep in mind the tips that I have given you so you do not forget certain things. If you feel you need to change web hosts, it may be beneficial for you if you are already thinking about it. If you are worried that you will forget something or not do something right, no need to go crazy worrying. Hire someone who can handle everything and makes sure everything goes smoothly.

Is SEO the most cost-effective way to market online?

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When it comes to anything involving business, long term profits are the overall goal. Making some fast cash is always a good thing, don’t get me wrong, but to have a constant flow of funds allows for peace of mind. When taking the plunge into online marketing, it is a good idea to take the same approach. Fast cash can be made with pay per click, but it is also a very risky process. Each visit is costing you money, and even though the return pays for it, you will be wasting money in the long run. This is where search engine optimization comes into play. SEO is the process of optimizing your website to rank well for a particular term. One of the main reasons to get into SEO is it’s long term potential.

statisticsSEO can, without too much fuss, be crowned the most cost effective way to market online. Search engines take counts of how many searches each term receives in a given month. The accuracy of these finding are what drives the SEO community. Thinking long term, it is always a better plan to target search terms that have regular traffic, while also being a viable marketing term. Phrases such as “make money online” have a large amount of searches every day, and have the ability to pull in long term profits if you were able to capture a large percentage of it.

Through the process of optimizing your page, you enable your website to gain a new client base that you currently might not target. Every time you take over a new spot in the search engines, you solidify a certain amount of traffic. Every visitor is a potential sale, whether your purpose is to sell or to earn through adsense. Thinking long term, if you are capable of holding a spot that receives 1,000 visitors a day, imagine the amount of possible customers that could be. Now multiply that by weeks, months, years. Other forms of advertisements are short term, and can be good to make money, but SEO is great money for a long time.

The longevity of SEO allows for costs to be extended over a long period of time. It might take time to reach the top of the search engines, but staying there will bring in extended flows of traffic. Buying ad’s can bring in people, but have to be repaid for often. Pay per click can quickly bring in traffic and sales, but forces you to pay for all your traffic. This makes it a dangerous game, at least until you tweak it down to perfection. All other free methods including article marketing assume a quick rush of traffic that will soon die off. The only way to make long term, cost effective, energy efficient income is through the process of search engine optimization. All other forms of online marketing fall short of the long term potential of SEO.

The Difference between Linux-based hosting and Windows-based Hosting

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Most people are probably not even aware that there are distinctive types of web hosting foundations, let alone know the names and the differences. But if you do come across the names, you should have a brief idea of what they are about. Plus, if you ever need specialized services, or someone tries to sell you something you don’t need, you will know how to answer thanks to this web hosting advice.

linux windowsThe basic difference between Linux-based hosting and Windows-based Hosting is that Windows is proprietary. In a way, that should be obvious because everyone knows that Windows is owned by Microsoft. Typically Windows-based hosting caters to a specific environment. Companies who use ASP, for example, host on Windows. Usually the database is built with Microsoft Access, and is used in conjunction with Microsoft SQL Server. You will regularly see very large corporations whose website pages end in the extension.

Because Windows-based hosting is built upon an expanded operating system, it is easier for many people to use. They are already accustomed to the traits and features of Windows, so it gives them a sense of familiarity and ease. Plus, the database can built right on their hard drives and then uploaded to the server. For companies who already have their information stored in Access, this is a huge advantage and cost savings in labor.

But, Windows hosting for the general public tends to be more expensive, as licenses are required, and in some instances, specialty hardware. This is another reason why it has been more predominant among large companies than for average users.

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Web Hosting Reviews: can you trust them?

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Scrounging the net for a suitable web host, you have come across a few providers that seem to match your criteria. They have all the things that matter, the correct amount of bandwidth and space, unlimited domains, and CPanel. All you need now is a little past customer input and the buy now button will be your next stop. The problem is, every review seems too good to be true. They seem to be written by normal people, but they just lack the unbiased view you need.

So the questions remains, can you trust web hosting reviews? The answer is yes, as long as you follow the right criteria for finding them. The main problem is that most reviews are simply affiliates pushing the service for their commission. This is a regular occurrence, and can be distracting. Finding true honest reviews is a task that takes a little work. The main thing to know is where to look.

reviewFirst thing you should know is to never take into account the reviews left on the web hosting services home page. These are either fabricated, or simply the best reviews they have ever received. Pay them no mind. Now your search will instinctively take you to your favorite search engine. Type in your web hosting company’s name, as well as the word “review”. You will see thousands of different pages claiming to review their astounding service. Most of these will be completely biased, with nothing bad to say about the web host.

The main thing to do now is a get a feel for the fake reviews. They follow a similar format, and regularly use the same look on their pages. Normally, they will be all alone on a single page, with no real depth or content. This is normally a dead giveaway. If you notice the review has a lack of technical information, seems like more hype than fact, and doesn’t even say one bad word about the host, move on, it’s fake.

Finding a trustworthy review can sometimes feel like a pain. The easiest way to find them is to search in the right way. Look for webmaster forums. These places are great for finding an unbiased view on the web host of your choice. Most the users are too smart to sign up under an affiliate link, and as such most users don’t bother putting any in. They simply post to vent out their frustrations about the web host. Simply search for the web host name, and look for anything that could resemble a review. Normally there will be two sides to every argument, but specifically look for the insight on the company’s support. This is the main thing that you cannot find on a spread sheet of facts.

Another place to find unbiased reviews is on large authority sites. They advertise in a different way than small time review websites, and have no reason to fluff the reviews. There are so many different companies to review; being honest will give them more business in the future. To figure out whether a site is an authority, simply take into account its look, the amount of content on it, and its overall tone. These sites look like authority figures. They have a large collection of content to look through, and their review should seem unbiased. Once again, the main thing to take into account is the service and how they treat their customers. If everything seems right, go ahead take the plunge.

Why Get Your Own Domain Name For Your Website?

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Picking out the right domain name for your website can be a daunting task. The others have already taken most of the domain names, and you will have to experiment with random names before selecting one among them. Before you venture out into the wilderness, allow me to ask you a simple query – what is the necessity to own a domain name? Why should you pay for the domain name when there are plenty of free web hosting providers who are more than willing to provide you with a custom domain name of your choice?

Domain NameI will start from the very basics and then illustrate the need for a private domain name. Most of you might be aware that the internet domains are actually IP addresses. It is tough to remember all the IP addresses. For instance, the IP address of www.google.com is 208.67.217.231. Now tell me, which one among these is easy to remember – the google.com part or the numerals. Naturally, you will be more inclined to the domain name. After all, who has the time to sit and memorize all the IP addresses? Do you realize the importance of a custom domain name?

By registering a domain name, you are doing more good to the visitors. Instead of learning complex IP addresses, they just have to remember the domain name. If they are aware of your domain name, they can easily input the same on their internet browser to view your website. This is the primary reason to own a domain name. Secondly, let us consider that your existing web hosting provider is charging exorbitantly for maintaining your website. You can easily shift to another web hosting provider without the knowledge of the visitors! In simpler terms, the minions who will be flocking on your website are not going to be aware of the under currents. Give it some thought and you will realize the feasibility of the same.

Thirdly, you will be able to carve a unique space for yourself in the cyberspace. It is perfectly normal for a homemaker to start blogging with one of the free domain name providers. The situation does not seem perfect if you are a budding entrepreneur. Your domain name should reflect the name of the parent company. Only then, you will be able to attract newer clients. High level clients will always look out for such fine features before discussing business.

Finally, you can even make extra money by owning a domain name. For instance, if you are into blogging, you can always submit your domain to advertising networks. Contextual pay-per-click advertising networks will pay handsomely and in fact, many bloggers are making extra sums every month through these networks. Advertisements will be displayed on the various web pages, and if you are diligent enough, you can tweak the website to be search engine friendly. Such a portal can attract lots of internet traffic, and you can expect regular payments from several advertising networks. Please be warned – do not cram the entire website with various adverts. That would be a major turn off for most of the visitors.