WEB REVIEWERS

17 May

Building A Blog - Part 2: Set Up

by Web-Reviews.com, at 11:51 am
Tips & Advice | permalink | rss

 

 
 
This 4 part blog series is intended to aid the new blogger in setting up and designing a blog that will be successful and unique. The 4 parts will be 1. Getting Started, 2. The Set Up, 3. Customization, and 4. Branding and Advertising

Building a Blog

PART 2 – Set Up

Now that you have sat down and figured out why you are going to blog, what niche you are going to blog about, what you are going to write about in that niche and what is going to make your blog unique it is time to set up the blog! When Setting up a blog there are 3 major things to consider, the domain name, the web host, and the Content Management System, CMS.

The first thing you have to be concerned with is your domain name.  The domain name is what your entire blog is going to be centered around and is how people will remember your site.  It is important that the domain name be relevant to the niche, memorable, and even catchy.  Once you have you domain name picked out you have to register it.

I recommend, and use, GoDaddy.com for all domain name registrations.  All you have to do is type in the domain name and see if it is available.  If it is, the registration process takes less than 5 minutes!  If you use GoDaddy.com  the promo code OYH3 will make each .com domain name $6.99 a year.

Once you have your domain name registered the next thing to consider is your web host.  There are thousands of host out there and many of them are quite good.  When picking a web host the things that are important to look for are the following:

  • Amount of Ad-On domains allowed
  • Amount of databases allowed
  • Amount of bandwidth allowed

These are the most important.  Ad-On domains allow you to use the same hosting account for multiple domains and websites.  This is very useful because once you start one blog, many people want to start another.  And if you are starting multiple blogs, it is best to have the ability to use multiple databases.

Bandwidth is usually not that important to a new blog, but as a blog grows bandwidth can become very important.  If a blog becomes very popular and exceeds its bandwidth allotment substantial charges can be encored.  

The web host we use and recommend is HostGator.com.  We have found them to be extremely reliable and meet all of our needs.

Once you set up your hosting account (takes about 5 minutes with HostGator.com and most other web hosts) you have to set your domain names DNS servers.  This is a very simple process and, again, should only take about 5 minutes.  If you are using HostGator.com as your web host and GoDaddy.com  as your domain registrar here is how you do set up your DNS servers:

  • HostGator.com will email you your DNS server names
    • Usually something like NS80.HostGator.com
  • Log into your GoDaddy.com account
  • Click on the My Domains Tab
  • Find the domain you are setting up the DNS Server for
  • Click on the domain, then click the Name server icon
  • Input the DNS Server into the supplied field

If you don’t not use your recommended web host and domain registrar the process is fairly similar for all of them.

Now that you have your hosting plan and domain name set up it is time to set up your Content Management System (CMS).  For blogs there are 3 main CMS systems in use, Joomla, Blogger, and WordPress.  WordPress is by far the most popular and it is the easiest to use and easiest to customize so I will focus on it.

Many web hosts, HostGator.com included, have a program that will automaticly install WordPress for you, but if you do not have a host that will do that or you want to install it yourself I would highly suggest reading the instructions that come with WordPress. 

The basic method of setting up WordPress on your server is as follows:

  • Download the most recent version of WordPress ( http://www.wordpress.org/download)
  • Unzip the file onto your hard drive
  • Set up a database on your server (see instructions provided by host and WordPress)
  • Edit the Config.php file to reflect database settings
  • Upload all WordPress files
  • Goto your domain name and follow on screen instructions

On average the setup process takes about 15-20 minutes. 

Now that your blog is set up, it is time to customize it!  Stay tuned for part 3!
 

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17 May

Free Computer Tips

by Web-Reviews.com, at 9:45 am
Blogs : Computers | permalink | rss

 

Rating
Content
Design

v
Content ()
FrustratedComputerUsers.com is a blog dedicated to helping people with computer problems, answering questions and giving suggestions.  This blog was started by FD Musser, a computer expert with certifications in many specifications.  FD writes how-to articles with subjects ranging from “what is a good password” to upgrading security.
One of the most valuable things FrustratedComputerUsers.com is that they promise to answer all Emails.  So if you have a computer question, they will at least attempt to help you, and maybe your issue will become a how-to blog post.  I find this type of interactivity to be quite valuable.
Screen Shot

Design ()
The design of FrustratedComputerUsers.com leaves a lot to be desired.  I found myself frustrated with the video found on the main page.  It was a video advertisement for FrustratedComputerUsers.com.  Why do you need to put an advertisement for the website you are already at on the front page?  Also there were quite a few 125×125 advertisement spaces left empty.  It appears the site has some sort of ad rotation, but often many of the ads are left empty and it looks bad.
I also found the navigation to be a bit cumbersome.  There was no clear way to find exactly what I was looking for.  There were at least 2, sometimes 3 links to each category and some of them had odd placement.   The main site navigation is at the very top of the page and has low contrast links that are difficult to find. 
Even with the navigation and advertising issues this site has, it does have a nice feel to it.  It has a simple and easy to read look.  If the other design flaws are fixed, it could be quite a nice and useful design.
Conclusion
FrustratedComputerUsers.com is a useful site with a few design flaws.  The content of this fairly new site helps make up for its flaws.  As the blog grows I hope to see a few design enhancements.
Pros: Good content, very helpful
Cons: Many design flaws.
Free Computer Tips - FrustratedComputerUsers.com

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04 May

Web-Reviewers.com Blog Performance Update

by Web-Reviews.com, at 4:16 pm
General | permalink | rss

 

Pagerank:
Page Strength:
Domain Age: 75 Days
It is now 75 days since this Web-Reviewers.com opened its doors.  We have decided we are going to start a monthly update of how the site is doing, including factors such as Google Pagerank, SEOMoz Page Strength, Domain Age, Back Link Count, and post count!  All the information we are going to be posting is easy to find with a few searches, but I figured I would just post it all here and make it easy to find for everybody!
 
Category Stat (Parenthesis is last month)
Google Page Rank 3 (0)
SEOMoz Page Strength 2.5 (N/A)
Domain Age 75 Days
Google Back Links 537 (382)
Yahoo Back Link 1828 (1234)
Total Posts 31 (N/A)
Total Comments 2 (N/A)
 
Comments
I am very happy to see my Google Pagerank finally update.  After only 75 days I think this is a great rank.  I did not aggressively link build so it could be better, but it is great for the effort I put into it.
 
I look forward to tracking these stats and seeing how this site performs!

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04 May

Internet Marketing - How-to

by Web-Reviews.com, at 3:45 pm
Blogs | permalink | rss

 

Rating
Content
Design

One of the oddest things I have been finding since starting this website is that the most common blogs are blogs about blogs.  How to blog, how not to blog, what to blog about, how to make money blogging, and of course discussing other blogs.  With all these blogs, where do you go to find a solid how-to resource?  MixedMarketArts.com.
Content ()
MixedMarketArts.com is a blog started by Collin LaHay.  MixedMarketArts.com’s central theme is teaching others to make money by blogging, but it offers so much more.  This site discusses everything from SEO (search engine optimization) to advertising to affiliate marketing.
 
One thing I found that really sets this site apart from other how-to-blog websites is that Collin discloses every penny he makes online and how he made it.  He discusses what works, and more importantly he discusses what did not.  I found this aspect to be very helpful and this will keep me coming back for more!
Screen Shot
Design ()
MixedMarketArts.com has a very eye catching design.  It has a great logo and great, consistent color scheme.  The only thing I found that I did not like about the design is the advertising.  It is rather obtrusive.  This site is all about making money online so it makes sense, and that is why the site still gets an overall rating of 5, but it is just cumbersome.
Conclusion
MixedMarketArts.com is a great site with very valuable information for anybody who is building a blog or is a current owner of a blog.  The information offered keeps me coming back for more and I am now one of the growing list of subscribers!
Pros: Great information, relevent posts, great how-to posts.
Cons: Another Blog about Blogs, tons of ads.
Mixed Market Arts - Internet Marketing

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23 Apr

Building Back Links

by Web-Reviews.com, at 12:52 pm
Blogs : Web Services | permalink | rss

 

Rating
Content
Design

For a website to rank high in Goggles search results page that site needs to have a number of high quality links pointing at that site. Google looks at every link pointing to a website as a vote for that sites content and relevance to a search quarry  Many webmasters have no clue how that they need to build quality backlinks, much less know how to find them, and this is where LinkBuildingBible.com comes in..  
Content ()
LinkBuildingBible.com is a relatively new blog that has a clear focus on tip, tricks and techniques used for building backlinks.  In its short existence LinkBuildingBible.com has provided some high quality content and is a great reference for any webmaster just starting out.  I would suggest reading threw the archives of this site to get an idea of where to start!  There are a few things that I have found to be missing, such as reviews of directories and other link building services, but that may be resolved in the near future as the blog continues to grow.
Screen Shot
Design ()
LinkBuildingBible.com has a nice look and feel to it.  It is very easy to navigate and simple to find what you are looking for.  The day I reviewed the site I found a few flaws in the design that affected its rating that should be easy to fix.  For example, there is some sort of error in the width dimensions of one of the divs that is causing the outside navigation bar to be pushed to the bottom.  I also found the 3 125×125 advertising spots to be distracting.  They provide no content, no advertising, and do not even link to an “advertise with us” page. 
Conclusion
Overall I found this site to be quite useful and attractive.  Once the few design errors are rectified, LinkBuildingBible.com will be a solid informational tool for those looking to build back links to their website.  I look forward to seeing a post on LinkBuildingBible.com about having your site reviewed as a link building technique!
Pros: Good information, nice consitant look!
Cons: A few design issues, needs a little more time to grow!

Link Building Bible - How to build back links

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