Stacy asked our group about GFC, SEO, Page Rank and any other advice we’d be willing to give.
Lets start with GFC: Google Friend Connect:
You know how you follow everyone on blogger? It’s the same thing, but you can use it on WordPress and you don’t even need a blog its more of an RSS feed type thing.
SEO: Search Engine Optimization is how to get your website to the first page or 2 of Google and other search engines.
The more popular you are the more likely you are to get to the first pages of search engines and get seen.
Page Rank: is a number from 1-10 the higher the number the more Google loves you. My current blog is at a 1, I usually sell a blog when it reaches 4. I used to have a little trick to get blogs from 1 to 4 in a matter of months, but then Google did this thing where it just randomly updated and all the rules changed, blah, blah, blah.
Anyway that Page Rank score is what gets you the offers and ads you want.
Best advise I can give you:
If you are using Blogger and you think someday you’ll want your own domain and a WordPress (or other) blog, BUY YOUR DOMAIN FIRST – BUY IT NOW and attach it to your Blogger account for at least 6 months. This way when you move to your own hosting and a WordPress blog, your Page Rank will go with you. If you don’t do this, then you will lose your Page Rank and have to start at the bottom again. I don’t care what people tell you about redirecting, your PR is attached to your domain, if that PR is attached to your Blogger domain and you move to WP, your PR goes bye bye! And with it goes all the offers and all the money. Get your domain NOW! Because if you have a Blogger/BlogSpot blog and you start to get popular someone will buy your domain out from under you – I may even do it! All is fair in blogs and domains and once someone grabs your domain you have to pay BIG BUCKS to get it back. Unless you have some kind of registered business with that domain and spend thousands on attorneys fees, you are out of luck!
And the rest of my tangent:
There are 2 different types of WordPress.
This confuses people and one thing that I forget to mention (to often) There is WordPress.com, that is like Blogger, but you’re not allowed to make any kind of money on it (stay clear of wordpress.com)
WordPress.org is the WordPress program that you (or someone who knows how) installs on your paid hosting.
Back to Blogger/BlogSpot:
Almost every successful mommy Blogger I know start out on Blogger, built themselves up on Blogger and then did the switch (moms with a PR of 4 and higher). Usually Blogger is easier and faster and I NEVER suggest spending money (except on your domain) until you start bringing something in.
Most mommy Bloggers who started with Blogger have old links that are still index extremely high on Google and other search engines and redirect to their paid hosting blog so they don‘t lose must of their PR (if any) when they move.
“How to” Bloggers will tell you differently, but most are trying to sell you something. I have created several successful blogs, I’ve always done it with paid hosting and in the beginning when I was learning, it took me far longer than it took the moms on Blogger.
There is always a chance that Google will just drop Blogger or it will get hacked, but your paid hosting package can get hacked also – with Blogger, THEY fix it! With your own paid hosting, you have to pay someone to do so (if you can’t do it yourself).
As much as I believe paid hosting is best and the way to go, I know most moms don’t know how to do what I do and can’t afford to pay me to fix their blogs (even though I‘m the least expensive)
I know what I’m saying goes against everything every successful ‘how to’ blogger will tell you, but most (not all) are trying to sell you something.
My best advice – Start with Blogger, attach your domain to your blogger account, prove that you are going to do this and keep it up, and when you know you’re going to keep it up and you’re make money in your niche then (pay me to) move. lol
The end of my tangent:
I do want to mention that there isn’t 1 right answer for everyone. As much as I’d LOVE to tell you that the only way to go is paid hosting and give you my affiliate link, I can’t.
(Well, I will probably give you my affiliate links anyway, but you know)
Paid hosting was the right choice for me because I wanted to become a programmer. But TheNightOwlMama.com – my best blogger student (I call her that, but really she did it all on her own) She started out on Blogger.
And MomsOnlineGarageSale.com (I taught her the basics of programming) she also started out on Blogger. Both constantly have offers coming in and usually get whatever they pitch.
Many big companies will only take you seriously if you have a paid hosting account, but when you are starting out, no one is going to take you seriously anyway – your PR is 0!