Drupal vs. Wordpress
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live.pirillo.com – Drupal vs. Wordpress, which one is better? Chris is using Wordpress right now, but is in the middle of switching over to Drupal. What do you think?
4 Ways To Increase Traffic To Your Blog
Author: bloggingtsAre you constantly blogging but the numbers you see in your traffic logs are embarrassingly low? It can be maddening to check your stats and realize that no one is actually stopping by. Don’t give up yet, because there are four great ways you can get traffic fast.
Traffic Tip #1: Do Your Keyword Research
Many bloggers make the mistake of thinking they can just throw some posts up there and expect to get traffic. There is a lot more to it than that! You need to make sure you are looking at the keyword data to find terms that are getting a lot of searches. Ideally, you want these terms to have low competition so it’s easier for you to rank. Once you start basing your posts around these kinds of keywords you should find that you’re getting a lot more traffic.
Traffic Tip #2: Write Enticing Articles Off-Site
Submitting to article directories isn’t just a good way to get backlinks to your site, it’s also a great way to get readers! Sites like EzineArticles.com have their own readership of people who are looking for the exact topic you’re blogging about. If you write a compelling article that leads into your resource box, people will be enticed to visit your blog.
Traffic Tip #3: Give People a Reason to Come Back
Getting traffic in the first place is one thing, but what you want to do as a blogger is have them coming back over and over again. The best way to do this is to create special offers or exciting events. For example, you can give away a prize each week to the new people who subscribed to your list or your feed. You can also run a contest for people who leave answers as comments on your blog posts. Make your blog a happening place to be and people will want to visit often and tell their friends.
Traffic Tip #4: Create Linkbait
Linkbait is when you write a blog post that is so exciting or controversial it gets people to come to your blog, comment, and link to the post. You may share some shocking news or offer an opinion you know is bound to stir people’s emotions. You do need to have thick skin when you write linkbait! Don’t expect everyone to agree with your opinion.
An example of linkbait is going the opposite way everyone else goes. For instance, imagine you have an electronics blog and you decide to review the iPhone. After reviewing the product you decide you don’t like it. You then write to tell your readers why. Since this was a product everyone was gaga over when it first came out the chances are good you would have gotten a strong reaction right off the bat.
There you have it! These are four solid ways you can start to increase the traffic on your blog as soon as possible. When you put these methods to work you’ll realize that the secrets to getting great traffic were in front of you the whole time.
A Wordpress tutorial can teach how to use Wordpress in blogging, but by far the best way to learn is by means of a Wordpress video tutorial. Why video and why Wordpress? Let’s take the last question first.
Why Wordpress
Most people use either Blogger or Wordpress for their blog, and there appears to be an ongoing debate as to which is best. I prefer to design my own blogs using Drupal,but that’s not related to this topic. With repect to the Blogger and Wordpress debate, there is only one answer for serious bloggers.
Wordpress. That is in now way being derogatory towards Blogger – just fact: run from Google’s hosting site kown as Blogspot, Blogger is an easy blogging system to use, and being easy, it has very litle opportunity for customization; however Googe users can use Google’s toobar to add posts or online content to their blog at the clickof a button. However, Wordpress wins hands down when we consider serious boggers seeking more detailed customization.
Sure, you can ftp Blogger to your website and run it from there, but if you do the same with Wordpress you have an infinitely larger number of possibilities that Blogger cannot even begin to compete against.
Wordpress Video Tutorials
If you want to operate Wordpress form your website you have to do it right, and it takes some knowledge of how your web space works and also of your online databases. However, learning is well worth it, and there are Wordpress video tutorials online that can help you to do so easily. There is a lot involved, but all you have to do is copy what you see on the video and you will get the same result as the video does.
Not only that, but in order to make best use of it, you have to learn the benefits of using plugins, widgets and themes and how to use them to your advantage. These are what make your blog what it is: add Adsense bocks, a calendar or a blogroll – or all three. If you understand how to do it, you can alter the entire appearance and functionlaity of your blog.
Wordpress Templates and Themes
Wordpress templates are what give your blog its online appearance. Your theme can be chosen according to style or color. For example you can a space-oriented style, woodland, nature, medical, etc. The themes and templates contain graphics that can represent any topic that your blog is based upon. An environmental theme, for example, could be based upon melting icebergs, or pets on a theme displaying any animal you want to choose. There are thousands of Wordpress templates available online, both free and paid.
Wordpress Plugins and Widgets
Plugins are small applications or code that carry out certain actions. As an example, there are plugins that optimize your posts for Google, amd you also get one that sends a tweet to Twitter when you make a new post. It will shrink the tweet to a TinyURL link. You can download a plugin to your blog that will allow you to add a calendar in any format you desire.
A widget is a small icon that activates these plugins when clicked upon. If you use a good Worpress tutorial, all that will be explained, but if your are doubly fortunate to have a Wordpress video tutorial, then you will be able to see what is being done and follow it exactly with your own blog and make it work as it should.
There is now doubt in my view that Blogger is inferior to Wordpress as a blogging system, as long as you run Wordpress from your own website, and you will also need a Wordpress tutorial, preferably a Wordpress video tutorial, to ensure that it is installed correctly and that you understand how your blog can be modified and customized to what you want it to look like.
Good Luck!
If you really want a great-looking blog, check out Pete’s Wordpress video tutorial course at Wordpress Tutorial and learn how to design fabulous bogs that will make your friends jealous.

