Why Use WordPress For Your Website?

Wait a second… Isn’t WordPress just a blog?

Well yes, and no. While WordPress started off exclusively as a blogging platform, it now has almost as much functionality as any “normal” website out there today. There is almost nothing you can’t do with WordPress, and it has a lot of benefits for the beginner.

Let’s take a look at the biggest benefit of using WordPress for your first website. It is EASY to learn, and no programming knowledge is required to get set up!

In almost all aspects, WordPress does most of the work for you, so you don’t have to worry about it. A few clicks and you’re done. Let’s take a quick look at the two main features you might worry about.

Easy Design:
Now, a lot of us don’t have time to take out of our days to come up with a site design. With WordPress that is taken care of for you! Simply browse around for a template you like, right from the WordPress Dashboard, click install, and she’s done! Of course, you will probably need to do some tweaking, but the backbone is done for you.

SEO:
For many people, especially those just getting started, SEO can be a really frightening subject. Unlike conventional websites (AKA made the old fashioned way), WordPress does its best to help the beginner perform at least the basic SEO steps needed to be properly formatted and seen by the search engines.
You don’t need any special knowledge, or any programming skills. Simply hop into your WordPress Dashboard, go to plugins, and search for SEO. You will see a mountain of plugins for your SEO needs. And the best part? Click it, install it, and forget it! Don’t worry yourself with slugs, or meta tags, or post optimization, you can worry about that later, for most new bloggers and site owners, the important thing is to get started!

So the next time you consider starting a new site or blog, consider WordPress, it is easy to install, easy to learn, is free, and will save you a bundle of time in the end.

Getting Started With IB – Where Do I Begin?

“Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.” ~ Abigail Adams

I think one of the hardest things for Internet Business Newbies is digesting all of the information that they find, read, watch, and hear.  Just getting started can be a task when you are not even sure what half the stuff you are reading even means.  One of the things I always recommend to anyone starting out with Internet Business is to take a few weeks to learn as much as you can and become familiar with some of the big players and the common terminology used.  Just getting the basic vocabulary down will help you tremendously and will make it so much easier to locate more information and useful tips that you can apply to your business.

Where To Look

There are so many great sources of information out there on Internet Business and some not-so-great sources.  Luckily for you, I have wasted all my time weeding through it so you don’t have to.  Here are some places you can go to get started on your lessons.

1. iTunes – iTunes has some really great podcasts on Internet Business and Marketing.  Even if you don’t have an iPod you can still listen online.  If you do have an iPod even better!  I have an hour drive back and forth from work and I consistently use this time to listen to the podcasts I find in iTunes.  It makes my commute fly by and I am learning something new daily as I drive!  Win/Win!

If you are not familiar with locating podcasts in  iTunes, Butterscotch.com has made this quick tutorial which can walk you through the process.  If you don’t already have it, you can download iTunes for free HERE.

One podcast that I highly recommend is Internet Business Mastery.  This is run by Sterling and Jay who have both escaped their cubicle and designed their dream lifestyles.  They offer many great business tips and their podcast is one of the most professional ones I have found.  Look around and you will find there really is some great content on there.

NEWBIE TIP: Be sure to check the dates of the podcasts.  If you see that one has not been updated in awhile, you may want to avoid it.  The content may be old and have no current relevance in this fast changing arena.  Also watch out for very short podcasts (under 5 minutes).  Most often these are simply promo spots or ads disguised as value content.

2. Blog Talk Radio – BTL has created a format that makes it very easy to set up and distribute podcasts.  This is both good AND bad.  Good because it gives many talented people a platform to showcase their wares and get their information out to the world.  Bad, because it makes it very easy for ANYONE to upload content.  I would proceed here with caution and follow the same rule as above.  If the content is old, just look for something a bit more recent.  You can find their site HERE.  Some good hosts are Bob The Teacher, Willie Crawford, and Steve Weber.  Just  look around.  There is quite a bit of talent on there.

3. YouTube – I am the type of person that learns much faster by watching than by reading.  I think that is why YouTube is one of my favorite places to gain new information.  There are literally millions of videos on there that can show you everything from setting up a new blog to creating a eBook.  YouTube has probably been one of the most useful learning tools I have found for myself on the web.  I highly recommend it and I hope you will take some time to use it as well.  You can link to it HERE.

4. Blogs - Blogs are great for so many reasons.  They are so versatile and you can find one on just about any subject on the planet.  If you want to find some really good Internet Business tips and information check out some of the blogs at WordPress and Blogger.  These are two of the bigger sites and will hold most of the content. Just so a quick search for Internet Marketing or Internet Business and you will find a host of blogs to search through.

I think that should get you started.  Check back often for more great tips and make time each day to learn a little more than you know today!  Soon you will be on your way!

Ancora Imparo!