18 Most Important Things You Need to Do After Installing WordPress

We are often asked by users about what to do right after starting a blog? Once you have installed WordPress, there are still quite a few things you need to do to properly setup and launch your website. In this article, we will share the most important things that you will immediately want to do after installing WordPress.

1. Add a Contact Form

All websites on the internet need a contact form. It allows your website visitors to quickly contact you by simply filling out a form on your website.

By default, WordPress does not come with a built-in contact form.

This is where WPForms comes in. It is the best WordPress contact form plugin and allows you to easily create beautiful contact forms for your website.

They also have a WPForms free version that you can download from WordPress.org plugin repository.

See our step by step guide on how to create a contact form in WordPress.

2. Change Site Title, Tagline, and Timezone

Next, you need to change the site title, tagline, and timezone settings. Simply head over to Settings » General page and change these settings.

3. Setup WordPress SEO

SEO, short for Search Engine Optimization, is used by website owners to get more traffic from Google and other search engines.

WordPress is pretty SEO friendly out of the box. However, there is a lot more that you can do to optimize your SEO and get more traffic to your website.

The best time to set up your website’s SEO is right after installing WordPress.

We recommend using the Yoast SEO plugin. It is the most comprehensive WordPress SEO plugin on the market, and it takes care of all the important SEO settings out of the box.

For complete step by step instructions, see our ultimate WordPress SEO guide for beginners.

4. Install Google Analytics

As a website owner, you need to understand your audience, what they are looking for, and how you can help them find it. These insights help you make smarter decisions to grow your business.

This is where you need Google Analytics. It shows you how many people visit your website, where they came from, and what they did on your website.

The easiest way to install Google Analytics is by using MonsterInsights. It is the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress and shows beautiful analytics reports right inside WordPress.

For the complete setup, see our beginner’s guide on how to easily install Google Analytics in WordPress.

5. Install Caching

Studies show that 1 second delay in page load time can lead to 7% loss in conversions, 11% fewer page views, and 16% decrease in customer satisfaction.

As a website owner, you need to make sure that your website is fast and performs well even under high traffic.

This is where caching comes in. It allows your website to quickly serve cached copies of your pages to users instead of generating them on the fly. This reduces server load on your website and improves your page load speed.

There are a lot of caching plugins available for WordPress, but we recommend using the WP Super Cache plugin. See our guide on how to install and setup WP Super Cache plugin for detailed instructions.

Caching alone can significantly improve your website’s speed. However, there are lots of other things you can do to make it faster. See our complete guide on how to improve WordPress speed & performance.

6. Setup Backups

Each year millions of dollars worth of damages are caused by data loss. Creating backups is the only way to make sure that you can easily recover your website in case of a disaster.

Some WordPress hosting companies offer limited backup services with their hosting plans. However, these backups are not guaranteed, and it is your responsibility to backup your website on your own.

Luckily, there are several great WordPress backup plugins that you can use to automatically create backups.

We recommend using Updraft Plus. It is the best WordPress backup plugin and allows you to setup automatic backup schedules. You can also store your backups securely on remote storage services like Google Drive, Amazone S3, Dropbox, and more.

For step by step instructions see our step by step tutorial on how to backup and restore WordPress using UpdraftPlus

7. Setup WordPress Security

WordPress is quite secure out of the box. However, you still need to follow security best practices to keep your website secure.

Some of these best practices are quite easy to do on your own like using strong passwords, securing WordPress admin area, and installing updates.

For other things, you will need a plugin. There are some great WordPress security plugins that you can use.

We recommend using Sucuri. They are the industry leader in website security, vulnerability scanning, and malware protection.

The best part about using Sucuri, is that they offer the best WordPress firewall plugin. A website firewall blocks suspicious traffic from ever reaching your website.

For complete instructions, follow the steps in our ultimate WordPress security guide for beginners.

8. Setup Spam Protection

Spam comments can be quite problematic. Most of them contain links to malicious websites known for distributing malware. Spam comments can affect your search rankings and your website’s reputation.

You can enable comment moderation in WordPress to prevent any comment appearing without approval. However, as the quantity of spam grows you will be spending considerable time moderating comments.

To fix this, you need to install and activate the Akismet plugin. It is a WordPress anti-spam plugin and one of the only two plugins that come pre-installed on every WordPress website.

To learn more, see our guide on how to setup Akismet anti-spam plugin in WordPress.

9. Delete Unused WordPress Themes

Most WordPress users will install and test a few themes before deciding on one that’s a keeper. Instead of leaving those unused themes installed, be sure to delete them. The reason for that is because even inactive themes will need updates.

We do recommend keeping at least one default theme installed. This theme will act as a fallback in case you have to to switch themes when troubleshooting for errors.

Go to Appearance » Themes page and click on an unused theme that you want to delete. This will bring up a popup showing theme details. In the bottom-right corner of the popup you will see the link to delete the theme.

Repeat the process to delete all unused themes.

10. Setup WordPress Comments

Comments play an important role on most blogs. They are a good indicator of user engagement and allow you to build a community around your blog.

Simply go to Settings » Discussion page to setup comments. From here you can enable or disable comments, setup comment notifications, and enable comment moderation.

11. Delete Default Content

WordPress comes with some default content to be used as the placeholder items. This includes a blog post titled ‘Hello World’, a sample comment, and a sample page.

Simply go to Posts » All Posts page. Take your mouse to the ‘Hello World’ post and then click on the ‘Trash’ link.

Next, go to Pages » All Pages page and then delete ‘Sample Page.

Lastly, visit the Comments page and then delete the default comment.

12. Setup a Default Category

WordPress posts are required to be filed under at least one category. By default, WordPress uses the ‘Uncategorized’ category as the default category. If you don’t change the category when writing a blog post, then it will automatically be filed under the default category.

To change the default category, first, you need to visit Posts » Categories page to create a new category. This will be used as your new default category.

After that, go to Settings » Writing page. Here you will see the default category option, you can go ahead and select the new category you created earlier.

Finally, you can go to Posts » Categories page and delete the ‘Uncategorized’ category.

To learn more, see our guide on how to change the default Uncategorized category in WordPress.

13. Setup Front and Blog Pages

By default WordPress displays your blog posts on the homepage. However, if you are making a small business website, then you would want to use a static page as your homepage.

Even most blogs want to use a static front page as their homepage. This allows them to create custom layouts for their homepage.

To set up these pages, you can simply go to Settings » Reading page and select the pages you want to use as your front page and blog page.

For more details, see our article on how to add a separate page for blog posts in WordPress.

14. Upload Your Gravatar

WordPress uses Gravatar to display user photos in author bios and in WordPress comments. Gravatar is a profile image hosting service that allows users to use the same photo as their profile image across millions of website.

Simply go to the Gravatar’s website and create an account using the email address you have used in your WordPress account.

After that, you can use this email address to comment on millions of websites using Gravatar including your own site.

For more details, see our article on how to use Gravatar in WordPress.

15. Complete Your User Profile

Next, you would want to complete your WordPress user profile. Simply head over to Users » Your Profile page to update your profile information.

By default, WordPress will use your username next to your blog posts and comments. You would want to replace it with your full name or nickname. See our article on how to add or change your full name in WordPress.

You would also want to provide your website link. Other plugins may also add their own custom fields to your user profile like social media links.

Lastly, enter a short bio of yourself. This would give your users a quick introduction and help them learn more about the author behind the articles.

16. Upload Favicon and Site Icon

Favicon or Site Icon is the tiny image that appears next to your website title in the browser. It helps your users identify your website and increases brand recognition among your most frequent visitors.

First, you will need to create an image of exactly 512×512 pixels in dimensions and save it in png, jpeg, or gif format.

After that, you need to visit Appearance » Customize and click on the ‘Site Identity’ tab. Under the ‘Site Icon’ section click on the ‘Select File’ button to upload your favicon.

For more details, see our article on how to add favicon and site icon in WordPress for step by step instructions.

17. Change WordPress Email Address

Most users add their own email address when installing WordPress. This means their first user profile and their website’s email address are the same.

To change this you can go to Settings » General page and enter the new email address you would like to use for the website.

Make sure that the new email address is active, as WordPress will send a confirmation email to that address.

You can use any email address here. However, it would be best to use an email address that shows that this address is for automated emails sent from your website.

If you want to use email accounts using your own domain name, then please see our guide on how to create a free business email address for your WordPress website.

18. Setup Your WordPress Theme

The next step is to setup your WordPress theme. Most WordPress themes come with different features and customization options. However, there are some basic settings that are the same in all WordPress themes. In fact, they are common among most websites on the planet.

Let’s start with setting up navigation menus. It is the links menu that usually appears in the header section. It contains links to different areas of your website.

For detailed instructions, see our beginner’s guide on setting up navigation menus in WordPress.

Next, you would want to add widgets to your WordPress. Widgets allow you to add different blocks to your website’s sidebar or widget ready areas.

By default, WordPress will display a few default widgets in your primary sidebar. You would want to rearrange them or add other widgets. Your theme may also come with its own custom widgets for social media and other features that you would want to use.

For detailed instructions, see our beginner’s guide on how to add and use widgets in WordPress

Your theme may also include plenty of other options like color schemes, layout choices, header styles, and more. Explore these options and set them up to your own liking.

We hope this article helped you learn things you will immediately want to do after installing WordPress. You may also want to see these actionable tips to drive traffic to your new WordPress site.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post 18 Most Important Things You Need to Do After Installing WordPress appeared first on WPBeginner.

source https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/top-10-most-important-things-to-do-after-installing-wordpress/

Using behavioral design to reduce bounce rate

It comes as no surprise that humans have terribly short attention spans. In fact, a study by Microsoft put a number on it: 8 seconds – less than the attention span of a goldfish. The implications for online marketing are huge. In a noisy and highly competitive online space, you either grab a visitor’s attention the moment they land on your website or lose them – possibly forever.

Bounce rate is an important metric for measuring how users engage with a website. It indicates the percentage of visitors who navigate away from your site after viewing only one page.

Think of the times when, as a web user, you visited a website and immediately headed for the back button. While the decision to exit the page may have been made unconsciously, the reality is that certain ‘unappealing’ elements on the website influenced that decision. This is the basis of behavioral design. The rationale is that if certain elements of a web page can drive users away, then there must be other characteristics that can make them stay.

Leading behavior scientist, BJ Fogg, has extensively studied how technological solutions influence behavior and outlines a three-step method for using design to change behavior. These are:

• Getting specific about the desired behavior
• Making it easy for users to reach that outcome
• Using triggers to prompt the behavior.

If we apply this method to bounce rates, then the first step is clear. The goal is to get your site visitor to click another link. But how do you fulfill the other two obligations? How do you create an environment that encourages users to perform this action?  Here are three strategies to implement.

Improve branding

Fogg, along with other researchers, studied 2500 web users to understand how they assess a website’s credibility. They found that the average consumer paid far more attention to the visual design of a site than to its content.

Almost half (46.1%) of the participants judged a website’s credibility based on the ‘design look’. This includes the overall appeal of the visual design, the layout, typography and color schemes.

What does this mean for bounce rates? If users don’t perceive your website as credible, you’ll have a hard time getting them to stick around, let alone click on anything else on your site. Uniform and visually-appealing branding immediately catches the attention of a site visitor, especially if you’re a new brand.

Therefore, it’s important to have a brand identity with uniform branding – not just for your web pages (copy and color), but your entire web presence (including social media and landing pages).

Technological advances grant businesses of all sizes the ability to create their brand’s identity based on data. Tailor Logo, for instance, is a tool for generating logos/branding kits using dedicated machine learning algorithms that enable businesses to stay consistent in all the touch points where users may come across your brand.

In addition, the tool helps users develop the perfect typography for their branding through a series of carefully designed questions that provide insights into the brand’s identity and objective. Typography is critical for improving a visual design; a Nielsen study found that small font sizes and low-contrast are the number one complaint for web users as it relates to reading online.

Reduce cognitive load

Cognitive load refers to the total amount of mental effort required to complete a task that involves processing of information. In practical terms, this is the amount of mental resources users have to dedicate to be able to understand/process the information on your website.

Since the recent GDPR implementation, I’ve lost count of the number of sites where I’m bombarded with two or three pop-ups as soon as I land on the page.

This leaves site visitors with too much choice and too many tasks to perform. What should they do first? Accept privacy policies, read content, subscribe to your newsletter, or pay attention to the flashing ebook download? It’s not difficult to see why users will choose the easiest option – a quick exit.

What you should do is consider every page as a single entity and give some thought to what a user who visits a specific page might want to do. If it’s a blog post, then getting the information they need is likely the user’s main intent. So, do away with unhelpful pop-ups and focus on giving the user a seamless reading experience. Embedding the links to your lead magnets within the content could be far more effective in this context. If you must use a triggered opt-in form, have it come up only when the user attempts to exit the page.

Perfect your triggers

Revisiting Fogg’s three-step model, the last step is to provide a trigger for the desired behavior.  In this case, you want users to follow a link on your web page. This could be a glaring CTA button or a subtler link embedded within a blog post. But how do you make it easy for users to act on these cues?

Make the triggers relevant. Suppose a user reads an interesting blog post on how to write web copy and is interested in learning more techniques, but the suggested content and lead magnet on the blog post page are about data mining. What would be the logical next step for this user? Contrast that with a page with links to relevant copywriting content. It’s clear how this user will respond differently.

Place triggers in the right places. Understanding how users interact with spaces is important. If you haven’t heard of the F-pattern yet, then you should. The Nielsen group conducted an eye-tracking research, which revealed that people scan web pages and phone screens in the shape of the letter F.

The key takeaway is that for any piece of content, users pay the most attention to the first few paragraphs, then somewhere down the middle and finally take a few glances at the end. In other words, they scan – not read – information.

If you are hiding vital information in between large blocks of text, then that’s bad news. Readers won’t see it. Your content should be easy to scan so that readers can quickly find the information they need. This includes links to more relevant content, offers or contact information.

Conclusions

A good bounce rate is important for online success. By using insights from online user behavior to improve your website design, you can increase engagement, reduce bounce rates and ultimately improve conversion.

Pius Boachie is the founder of DigitiMatic, an inbound marketing agency.

source https://searchenginewatch.com/2018/07/31/using-behavioral-design-to-reduce-bounce-rate/

How Alexa and Siri are changing SEO: AI and voice search

The Internet changes rapidly, which means marketers and business leaders must hurry to change with it. While most Internet searches were once done on laptops and desktops, people are now using their smartphones with similar devices to conduct searches for information, local businesses, products, and services.

That shift was closely followed by another somewhat more distinctive shift called artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted voice search.

In the past, a smartphone user would need to type a question or phrase into Google or another search engine to get a set of results to sift through. Now, AIs like Siri and Alexa – which reside in smart speakers and on smartphones, tablets, and laptops – have changed the way users are searching for the information, products, and services they need.

You can conduct searches with nothing more than the sound of your voice. And that’s rapidly changing the SEO landscape.

How voice-assisted search is changing searches

Most people have smartphones these days, and the vast majority of smartphones have voice-assisted search capabilities. According to 2017 data from the Pew Research Center, 77% of Americans now own smartphones. Among 18–29-year-olds, that same figure is 92%.

This means an enormous share of the general public is able to use voice-assisted AI search. When users of smartphones and smart speakers ask those devices for an answer to a query, that leaves the job of searching to certain AI like Siri and Alexa.

While Amazon’s Alexa will not deliver the answer to a voice search query unless it has been proven accurate, Google Voice Search tech (Google Home and Android devices) reports top results from Google. It doesn’t report results lower down on the search engine results page (SERP) or on subsequent results pages.

This makes being at the top of Google’s results more important than ever.

The language of voice search

As voice search through AI becomes more prevalent, the language of search changes.

When typing a phrase or question into Google, a searcher might use a non-sentence, such as “Indian restaurant Houston”, but when conducting a voice search through Alexa or Siri, the searcher will likely use full sentences and grammatically correct language:

“Siri, where is a good Indian restaurant in Houston?”

AI platforms try to respond to such queries in a human way, and they use the text of pages in search results to do so. Content should be optimized for conversational language with clear, grammatically correct answers to specific questions, such as who, what, where, when, and why.

Location and navigation searches

Thanks to voice search, mobile-friendly sites are becoming more important than ever. That’s because many people who use voice-assisted search do so on their smartphones.

Owing to the mobile nature of smartphone use, a large portion of voice requests through Alexa, Siri, and similar AI technologies deal with navigation and location. Integration with Google Maps means an opportunity for greater traffic for businesses with a local search presence.

For instance, a person may conduct a voice search for a “dentist near me” rather than doing a typed general search for top-rated dentists.

AIs process the spoken search query while keeping the user’s location in mind. This places further importance on business integration with Google Maps and creating optimized landing pages with location references.

To put it simply, voice requests lead to a SERP, where local businesses will want to rank. Claiming and maintaining Google My Business listings will become more important as voice search gains popularity.

Why FAQ pages work for voice search

Frequently asked questions (FAQ) pages appear to serve voice search purposes well. Long-tail keywords formulated as complete and conversational questions, answers to those questions, or location (“near me”) searches are becoming more important because they often answer voice search queries.

While a text-based search may seek broad information, a voice search generally seeks key information that can be concisely communicated, such as hours of operation, location, and directions.

Creating landing pages with this key information in mind is likely to improve placement in SERPs for AI-assisted voice searches.

Smartphone search vs. smart speaker

Smartphones are everywhere, but smart speakers are gaining traction quickly. In fact, around 39 million Americans own one of these devices, according to a January 2018 poll from Edison Research and NPR. As smart speakers like Google Home and Amazon Echo become more popular and available, people are beginning to use them to conduct searches.

As smart speakers aren’t linked to a screen or display of any kind, users only receive a verbal response to voice searches. That response is often based on a single search result – chosen by the AI assistant in an unseen selection process that takes only a few seconds.

Developers of these devices and AIs want the single result delivered to the user to answer the question or query fully and concisely. A business that is not highly ranked is not likely to be included in the limited results delivered by AI-assisted voice search.

Looking forward

Whether they’re aware of it or not, AIs like Alexa and Siri are changing SEO, and it’s up to marketers and businesses to adapt. From opting for conversational content to fully integrating businesses with Google Maps, there are plenty of steps to take to capture the benefits of this new type of search.

While AI-assisted voice search brings new goals and challenges to the table, the ultimate goal of SEO remains the same, whether you’re involved in SEO for law firms, restaurants, doctors’ office, or any other business. To convince AIs to include your content in their very limited answers to voice searches, you still need to occupy the top of the SERPs.

A page two or even top five ranking isn’t what it used to be. As voice search gains traction, being number one becomes more important than ever.

 

This article was originally published on our sister site, ClickZ.

 

source https://searchenginewatch.com/2018/07/30/how-alexa-and-siri-are-changing-seo-ai-and-voice-search/

How to Add One-Click Login With Google in WordPress

Do you want to add one-click login with Google to your WordPress site? Allowing users to login with their Gmail account saves them time because they wouldn’t have to remember their WordPress username and password. In this article, we will share how to easily add one-click Google login in WordPress.

Why You Should Add One-Click Google Login in WordPress?

Most internet users remain logged in to their Google accounts. This allows them to quickly access all Google apps like Gmail, Drive, Docs, Photos, and more without signing in separately for each app.

Having one-click Google login activated on your WordPress login page allows your users to quickly sign-in to your website using their Gmail account. It saves them time, and they wouldn’t have to enter their login credentials each time.

If your organization uses GSuite for professional business email addresses, then your team members can use your organization’s Google apps accounts for login.

If you run a simple WordPress blog, then you might not find this feature useful. However single sign-on feature like one-click Google login is very helpful for any websites that require users to login such as multi-author websites, membership websites, and websites selling online courses.

That being said, let’s take a look on how to easily add one-click login with Google to your WordPress website.

Adding One-Click Gmail Login in WordPress

First thing you need to do is install and activate the Google Apps Login plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to go to Settings » Google Apps Login page in your WordPress admin area. Under the Main Setup tab, you’ll need to add Client ID and Client Secret code.

To get these details, you need to visit Google Developers Console. If you are not already logged in, then you will be asked to login with your Google account.

Next, you need to click on Start a project from the top menu. It will open a popup where you would click on New Project button to continue.

Now, you need to add a project name and select the location. Project name can be anything, and Location will be your organization’s domain name (example.com). If you are logged in with your company’s Google account or your GSuite account, then it will add the location and organization automatically.

However, if you are creating a project from your personal Google account, then you can leave the location with No Organization selected.

Next, click on the Create button to continue.

You’ll now be redirected to APIs & Services dashboard. On this page, you need to click on Credentials from the left menu and go to OAuth consent screen page.

In the Email Address field, you need to add your email address that you have used to create this project. Also you need to add your website URL in the Homepage URL field and click on the Save button.

After that, it will take you to the Credentials page again. Go ahead and click on the Create Credentials button to select OAuth client ID option.

Next, you need to select Web application as an Application type. In the Authorised JavaScript origins field, you need to enter your website URL (http://www.example.com), and add WordPress login page URL (http://www.example.com/wp-login.php) in the Authorised redirect URLs field.

After that click on the Create button, and you’ll see your Client ID and Client Secret information in a popup.

You need to copy and paste these keys on the plugin’s settings page in your WordPress admin area.

After that, you can simply logout from your WordPress admin account, and you’ll see a Login with Google button on your login screen.

Clicking on the button allows you to login with one-click into your WordPress account. However, keep in mind that users can only login with the Google account address that they have used on your website.

We hope this article helped you learn how to add one-click login with Google in WordPress. You may also want to see our guide on how to create a login popup modal in WordPress, and how to create a custom user registration form in WordPress.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Add One-Click Login With Google in WordPress appeared first on WPBeginner.

source https://www.wpbeginner.com/plugins/how-to-add-one-click-login-with-google-in-wordpress/

Something to hide? The rise of privacy-focused search engines

Many people are comfortable opening up their world to others, some are not. This can even extend to the use of the Internet; some feel uneasy at the thought of somebody watching and analyzing every move to build a profile. And ultimately, when users believe this to be the case, they self-censor and think twice about what they search for and how to word it.

In the past the usual question would have been, “what do I have to hide?”. Surprisingly for some (disappointingly for others), the answer is often quite straightforward and benign. For me, it’s simply because I prefer to keep myself to myself, which helps to eliminate a feeling of shyness and preserve the energy it would have otherwise consumed.

Times are changing

The major search engines have increasingly pushed the envelope on user privacy, often expanding their surveillance by stating it somewhere deep within the terms of service. Many, often non-technical, individuals may be completely unaware of the scope and scale of data mining happening on an individual’s behavior.

Still, the majority of people continue to sacrifice some of their privacy in order to use free services such as Google. This is understandable as Google remains top in search, but that is changing. A growing number of people are starting to wonder where to draw the line; what is acceptable and what is too invasive? At what point do they no longer feel comfortable with the level of intrusion that comes with using these ‘free’ services. More people are therefore seeking out alternatives that respect their privacy.

This has led to the rise of search engines such as DuckDuckGo, StartPage and others. These search engines not only provide ‘privacy as a service‘, but also burst ‘filter bubbles‘ that use online tracking to target and customize results and content. Without tracking, these bubbles are burst and you are shown content based on what you looked for and not your previous history. This helps to prevent confirmation bias.

Enough is enough

The Snowden leaks, Cambridge Analytica, advertising that follows you everywhere, filter bubbles, advertising/search companies bypassing your phone’s security to more thoroughly track you, personalized pricing based on a profile – where will it end?

It would appear these companies have no real intention to change their ways. If the past is anything to go by then these stories are only going to continue. It will only be stopped by regulation or people saying enough is enough, voting with their clicks, and choosing an alternative that sees and treats them as a customer, and not a product.

Perhaps we’ll reach a crunch point and there will be a max exodus from these companies, or maybe just enough people to allow healthy competition to flourish. Hopefully this will give rise to a whole new wave of companies that put the people who use them first, and their privacy at the forefront of everything they do.

And where better to start than with search – an activity everyone participates in and which is increasingly seen as the gateway (and unfortunately in some cases, the gatekeepers) to the Internet.

 

source https://searchenginewatch.com/2018/07/30/something-to-hide-the-rise-of-privacy-focused-search-engines/

What is a Blog and How is it Different from a Website? (Explained)

We are often asked by beginners about what is a blog, and how is it different from a website? If you are thinking about starting a blog or a website, then understanding these terms will help you meet your goals. In this beginner’s guide, we will explain what is a blog and how is it different from a traditional website.

What is a Blog?

A blog is a type of website where the content is presented in a reverse chronological order (newer content appear first). Blog content are often referred to as entries or “blog posts”.

Blogs are typically run by an individual or a small group of people to present information in a conversational style. However now there are tons of corporate blogs that produce tons of informational and thought-leadership style content.

Typical blog posts also have a comments section where users can respond to the article.

History of Blogs

Blogs evolved from online diaries and journals in the mid-90s. At that time, internet users were already running personal web pages where they published regular updates about their personal lives, thoughts, and social commentary.

The term weblog was first used during the late 90s, which later became ‘we blog’, and then just ‘blog’.

Due to the growing number of such web pages, several tools started to appear which made it easier for users to create online journals and blogs. These tools helped popularize blogging and made the technology accessible to non-technical users.

In 1999, the popular blogging website Blogger.com was launched, which was later acquired by Google in February 2003.

The same year, WordPress released its first version as a blogging platform in May 2003. Today, WordPress is the world’s most popular blogging platform powering over 30% of all websites.

What is The Difference Between Blog and Website?

Blogs are a type of website. The only real difference between a blog and other types of website is that blogs are regularly updated with new content displayed in a reversed chronological order (newer posts first).

Typical websites are static in nature where content is organized in pages, and they are not updated frequently. Whereas a blog is dynamic, and it is usually updated more frequently. Some bloggers publish multiple new articles a day.

Blogs can be a part of the larger website. Often businesses have a blog section where they regularly create content to inform and educate their customers. Because you can use WordPress to create a website and blog, a lot of business owners use WordPress to build their small business website.

In simple terms, all blogs can be a website or part of a website. However, not all websites can be called blogs.

For example, WPBeginner is a blog and a website. Our website has other content which is published in a non-blog format like glossary, about us, and contact pages.

Now, let’s take a look at another example. This time a website called Awesome Motive. It is a business website and belongs to WPBeginner’s management company.

It does not have a blog or any content published in a sequential order. It uses pages to organize and present information about a business.

You can also say that blogs have articles that are organized using categories and tags. On the other hand, websites use pages to organize and display content.

What is The Difference Between Blog Posts and Pages?

WordPress is the most popular blogging platform, and it has two default content types: posts and pages. Often beginners get confused between the two.

Blog posts are displayed in a reverse chronological order (newest to oldest) on your blog page because they are timely content which means your users will have to dig deeper to view older posts.

Pages are static “one-off” type content such as your about page, contact page, products or services pages, and more.

To learn more, see our beginner’s guide on the difference between posts and pages.

Pages are usually used to create a website structure and layout. Even blogs can have pages alongside them (See our list of important pages that every blog should have).

Why Do People Blog? What are The Benefits of Blogging?

Each individual blogger has their own motivation for blogging. Many of them use it as an alternative to keeping a diary or journal. Blogging provides them with a venue to share their creativity and ideas to a wider audience.

Top brands and businesses create blogs to educate their customers, share news, and reach a wider audience. Blogging is an essential part of online marketing strategy for many businesses.

Following are just a few benefits of blogging.

• Provides an avenue to organize your thoughts and ideas
• Allows you to showcase your skills, creativity, and talents
• Help individuals become an authority in their industry
• Helps you socialize with interesting like-minded people online
• Many bloggers make money from their blogs using various monetization methods
• Businesses use blogging to bring more potential customers to their websites
• Non-profits can use blogs to raise awareness, run campaigns, and influence public opinion

What are Some Examples of Good Blogs?

Blogging is huge!

Millions of individuals and businesses from all over the world have blogs. This means that there are blogs on just about any topic you can think of.

Here are some good blogs that you can check out as an example. We have hand-picked the best blogs in different industries to give you an idea of how diverse blogs are.

1. Pinch of Yum

Pinch of Yum is one of the most popular food and recipe blogs online. Started by Lindsay, a high school teacher, the blog allowed her to quit her day job and become a full-time blogger.

2. WeTheParents

WeTheParents is a popular parenting blog run by Neve and Keane (the parents). They share parenting tips for moms and dads and while doing so they make money by earning commission on products they recommend.

3. List25

A popular edutainment blog that publishes interesting articles on a variety of topics in listicle format. It combines the pursuit of interesting and intriguing facts with the innate human desire to rank and list things.

4. We Wore What

Started by Danielle Bernstein, We Wore What is a popular fashion blog. With more than 1.5 Million followers, it covers everything from fashion to interior design to menswear.

5. Nerd Fitness

A fitness blog started by Steve Kamb, Nerd Fitness is dedicated to helping people stay fit. It provides fitness advice, motivation, support, diet and exercise tips.

6. Lost With Purpose

A popular travel blog run by Alex, who shares her journeys while offering travel tips, advice, and guides for other backpackers.

7. Tiny Buddha

Tiny Buddha is a personal development blog created by Lori Deschene. The blog publishes content on happiness, love, relationships, mindfulness, spirituality, simplicity, minimalism, letting go, and more.

There are many more great blogs out there on many different topics. See our list of the most popular types of blogs for some more ideas.

How Do Bloggers Make Money?

Usually, people think of bloggers as hobbyists. Some of them are, but a large number of bloggers make money from their blogs. This enables them to focus more on their blog, quit their day jobs, and build a successful business.

The more successful bloggers can make six-figure, seven-figure, and even eight-figure from their blogs.

Below are a few ways that most bloggers use to make money from their blogs:

The most common and probably the easiest way to make money online is by displaying ads. However, as a new blogger you will not be able to contact advertisers directly or manage them on your own.

This is where Google AdSense comes in. It takes care of finding ads, displaying them, collecting payments from advertisers, and sending you those payments for a small cut.

Many bloggers also make money through affiliate marketing. Basically, they recommend products on their websites and earn a commission when users buy those products.

Other common monetization methods include memberships, selling online courses, or adding an online store to the blog.

See our list of proven ways to make money online from your blog for some more examples.

We also have a list of “easy-to-start” online business ideas that you can check out.

Can Anyone Start a Blog?

Yes, anyone who wants to start a blog, can easily do so.

In the early days of blogging, users needed coding skills to even update their blogs. Now, there are plenty of tools that allow you to easily create a blog without ever writing code. If you can point-and-click, then you can build a blog within minutes.

Choosing the wrong blogging platform to start a blog is the most common mistake that beginners make. However, since you are here, you will not be making this mistake.

We recommend using WordPress. It is the world’s most popular blogging platform and website builder. Over 30% of all websites on the internet are built using WordPress, just so you can get an idea of how popular it is.

There are two types of WordPress: WordPress.com, which is a hosted solution, and WordPress.org also known as self-hosted WordPress. See our guide on the difference between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org for more details.

We recommend using WordPress.org because it gives you instant access to all WordPress features. It also allows you to easily make money from your blog without any restriction.

Want to learn more about WordPress? See our complete WordPress review for detailed breakdown of its features.

You will need the following things to start your own WordPress.org blog.

• A domain name (This will be your blog’s address and what users will type in their browser to visit it. For example, wpbeginner.com)
• Website hosting account (This will be home of your blog’s files)
• 20 minutes of your time

Normally, a domain name will cost you around $14.99 per year and website hosting $7.99 per month. Now if you are just starting out, this seems like a lot of money.

Thankfully, Bluehost has agreed to offer WPBeginner users a free domain and discount on hosting. They are one of the biggest hosting companies in the world and are officially recommended by WordPress.

Basically, you will be able to get started for $2.75 per month.

→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Bluehost Offer ←

After purchasing hosting, you can head over to our guide on how to start a blog for complete step by step instructions.

We hope this article helped answer your questions about what is a blog and what’s the difference between a blog and a website. You may also want to see our list of the most useful tools to manage and grow your WordPress blog.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post What is a Blog and How is it Different from a Website? (Explained) appeared first on WPBeginner.

source https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/what-is-a-blog-and-how-is-it-different-from-a-website-explained/

Checklist for performing basic SEO audit

Keeping up with the latest SEO practices can be overwhelming for someone who has just started out as a new website owner. Moreover, making sure that the existing SEO implementations are regularly taken care of as per the latest Google algorithm changes can be a nerve-wracking task for some.

To make sure that you are not missing out on them, you have to perform an SEO audit of your website/blog at regular intervals of time. By keeping a checklist handy, you maintain a standard SEO audit task list that makes sure that none of the crucial points are missed out.

In this blog post, we will be briefing you with a complete checklist that will help you perform the SEO audit of your website effectively and efficiently.

The advantages of having an SEO audit checklist are:

• Helps you identify the site’s weakest points and work on them
• Helps you with your site’s off and on-page optimization
• Helps you increase your site’s loading speed after you implement conclusions drawn out of the checklist
• Self-auditing your own website
• Helps you increase the organic traffic for your business
• The checklist helps you scan your website for any SEO omissions or SEO wrongdoings
• This SEO audit checklist will help you improve the website ranking factors by providing checkpoints.

We have tried our best to create a comprehensive checklist so that you don’t miss out on the major aspects of SEO. However, there will be certain checkpoints that we have liberally skipped from the checklist.

Now, let’s dive right into the contents of the checklist for your next SEO audit.

1. Determine the objectives of your site’s SEO audit

This is the most important task for your SEO audit checklist where you determine the objective or the purpose as to why you are in need of an SEO audit. These objectives will eventually define the extent of this checklist and maybe, make things a bit different.

For example, if your website is not yielding the desired speed results, you might want to conduct an SEO audit and figure out what’s causing the trouble. On the other hand, if there is a sudden downfall in the traffic metrics, you might want to fix things through an SEO audit. Well, there are many similar objectives behind this activity and by carefully assessing them, you will be able to perform an SEO Audit more effectively.

2. Keyword analysis

SEO begins with keywords so it is a good idea to begin your audit with the analysis of the keywords your site is using and if you’re targeting the right ones.

Make sure that you are using less competitive, long tail keywords that are very specific to the industry you are dealing in. The right keyword will be relevant, measurable, and obviously not a shot at the moon i.e. it will help you rank better.

A few tools that you can use are UberSuggest, SEMrush, Google keyword planner and Google trends.

You must run a keyword strategy that targets time bound keywords simply due to the fact that as your website grows, you will need to amplify the keyword research and look for other extensive keywords that will help you rank better.

Too many keywords on the website will kill your SEO game. Revamp the keyword count of needed. Include keywords in the URL to help your pages/posts rank better and make sure that these URLs are short.

Keyword cannibalization is yet another SEO degrading factor for your website. It occurs when two pages of your website compete for the same keyword. Make sure that you implement decisions to take care of it.

Later in the audit, you will be required to analyze the competition for these keywords.

3. Content analysis

We all know that the content pushed out by your site must be unique and free of plagiarism. Well, there are several other content analysis checks that must be ensured.

Begin by checking the presence of duplicate content on your site and seek help from tools such as Siteliner.com. By providing a match percentage, it shows result for pages that match other pages. You can also choose to opt for Copyscape premium services to see if any of your content has been plagiarized over the Internet.

A good content that helps your website rank better is engaging and SEO optimized. Make sure that you are using the target keywords on all the right places throughout a page on your website.

• Keyword in the title of the post/page
• Keyword in the first paragraph
• Keyword appearances in the H1 Tag
• Use of keyword in the meta description of the post
• Keyword appearances in the URL structure
• Keyword in the alt text of the first image used
• Keyword appearances towards the end of the post’s content.

To make sure that your content is engaging, always refresh the user generated data on the comment section of your blogs. Keep interacting with the audience so that you are able to churn a fair share of SEO juice from it as well.

Making sure that your content is of the right length is just as important as using quality content. Create the right content strategy which is well balanced with short-form, mid-length, and long-form articles. Regularly publishing content is also a huge SEO booster. If you feel like your schedule needs a boost, you can revise it during the next SEO audit.

4. UX analysis

The UX furnished by a website is a huge determinant of the site’s traffic and the average time spent by visitors on it.

Google Analytics can help you have a look at what the UX on your website likely is. Alternatively, you can figure out a great navigation for your site’s audience so that they can seamlessly surf through the pages of your website without having to struggle for the information they are looking for.

Another crucial site UX ranking factor is the presence of any broken links or pages on your site. Link checker Tools can help you remove such links and ensure that your users don’t encounter them.

5. Image optimization check

Make sure that you are optimizing the images present on your website. There are various plugins available which can help you optimize images. And don’t forget to implement the following:

• Use high resolution images
• Resize them to declutter your site’s database
• Use a relevant image that matches your text
• Name your image file appropriately by using the target keyword
• Use image alt text.

6. Content promotion analysis

If your website is employing content promotion services to share its updates via social media channels, make sure that they are well integrated and are working as intended.

7. Web hosting check

The right web hosting service boosts your site’s SEO efforts by complementing its server reputation, website uptime, and obviously the loading speed it offers. Every SEO audit must be an event where you review the performance of your existing web host and if there is a need, make the switch and choose a better service provider.

Resources like HostingBooth can be very helpful when you are looking to compare the performance of the existing hosting service providers.

8. Website loading speed check

Use a tool like Pingdom to determine the existing speed of your website. If it is taking more than 2-3 seconds to load, make sure that you fix it by following the necessary steps at the earliest.

Don’t skip out the website loading time for mobile devices.

9. Site uptime

During all of your site’s SEO audits, you must check the site uptime offered by your website to its users. Site uptime is the duration of the time your website is available to its users for access. A website with frequent downtime will cause the traffic to go down and affect your site’s ranking. To take care of your site’s uptime and maintenance, you can rely on tools like Uptime Robot, Site 24*7, and Pingometer.

10. Link analysis

Make sure that your backlinks are relevant and of high quality. Majestic is a great link checker if you want to ascertain the relevancy, authority, and the quality of the backlinks on your website. It’s Backlink History Checker tool will help you determine the number of backlinks detected by its sophisticated web robots for given domains, subdomains or URLs.

You must also assess the presence of all the outbound and internal links present on your website and get rid of all the low-quality links.

11. URL check

The right URL structure is crucial for your website as it tells quite a lot about the SEO on your site. All the URLs on your website must be SEO optimized yet not over-optimized. Take care of all the capital vs. lowercase URLs on the website.

12. Google penalty check

The truth is that Google is at the liberty of penalizing your website for not adhering to its regulatory updates or other instructions. A Google Penalty can cause a lot of damage to your site’s online reputation and your site’s SEO may go haywire. And in a situation where you are not aware of such a penalty being levied on your website, any efforts to rectify low SEO score can go to the gutter.

 

Hence, during every SEO audit, you must run a Google Penalty check to see if your website has been penalized. There are several tools available that can help you figure that out such as the Panguin Google Penalty Check Tool and the Fruition’s Google Penalty Checker Tool.

 

13. Sitemaps

Sitemaps help Google better understand the structure of your website by giving it the access to your site. Once you have a sitemap setup correctly, you will be required to keep it free of any errors.  assuming it’s set up correctly.

Begin by checking the presence of your site’s sitemap file by by adding sitemap.xml or sitemap.html to the browser. A Google Search Console search will help you figure out how many URLs were successfully indexed when you previously submitted the sitemap. It will also notify you of any problems or issues. Use tools like CodeBeautify and XMLValidation to check your sitemap for errors before submitting it.

14. Site security check

A site’s security is a compulsive factor that determines the ranking of your website. If yours is an ecommerce website, you better be way more careful. Since an SSL certificate is now an object of great importance for the impression of a website, make sure that your websites have it and while performing your next SEO audit, take steps to

Conclusion:

Once you are doing everything right, monthly or quarterly SEO audits will help you revamp your SEO strategy and make sure that you are not left behind. With the checklist furnished above, you will be able to perform a more efficient SEO audit for your site and ensure that it ranks well.

source https://searchenginewatch.com/2018/07/27/checklist-for-performing-basic-seo-audit/

27 “Proven and Easy to Start” Online Business Ideas that Make Money

Are you looking for online business ideas to make extra income on the side? The internet offers a lot of opportunities to start a business or find fulfilling careers. In this article, we will show some of the proven and easy to start online business ideas that actually make money.

Why Start an Online Business?

Technology is often blamed for killing traditional businesses and jobs. However, at the same time, these new technologies are creating tons of new jobs and business opportunities ready to be taken by anyone.

Starting an online business is easier than ever. You can do it from the comfort of your home with just a computer and an internet connection. There is no need to invest huge amounts of money to get started.

Caution: If someone tells you that you can invest A LOT of money and take a shortcut / get rick quick, then it’s likely a scam. Stay away from it.

The ideas we’re sharing in this article are about building legitimate online businesses, and you’ll still have to work hard to succeed.

That being said, let’s take a look at some of the proven and easy to start online business ideas that actually make money.

1. Start a Blog and Make Money From It

Blogs are one of the most successful ways to start an online business. Bloggers like Darren Rowse, John Lee Dumas and Pat Flynn are making six-figure incomes, and they are not alone. Our founder, Syed Balkhi, has built an eight-figure online business that started with a blog. There are also thousands of bloggers running very successful blogs as their full-time online business.

It is very easy to start a blog, and there are tons of ways to make money from it. One of the most popular ways to monetize your blog is by displaying ads using Google AdSense.

While you can start a blog in less than 30 minutes, you will need to work on it to make it a success. You will have to offer useful, entertaining, and engaging content to your audience on a regular basis (see our step by step guide on how to start a blog).

Luckily, there are tons of blog post ideas that you can use to consistently create content. As your blog grows, you will be able to monetize it using other strategies as well.

You will also be able to and use it as a platform to launch other online businesses.

2. Become an Affiliate Marketer

Affiliate marketers make sale commissions by recommending other people’s products or services.

Most affiliate marketers recommend these products and services by running their own blogs, websites, and email lists. They need to learn different online marketing strategies like SEO and content marketing to build an audience.

To get started, follow our ultimate affiliate marketing guide with step by step instructions for beginners.

3. Create and Sell Online Courses

If you are particularly good at something, then why not teach others and make a career out of it? Selling online courses is another popular way to start an online business.

A lot of users prefer to quickly acquire skills and knowledge by joining online courses. Creating an online course has become a lot easier with the help of LMS software. These platforms allow you to create interactive courses with easy to manage tools for classes, students, course material, and more.

The best part is that you don’t have to write a single line of code to build a course website.

To get started, see our guide on how to create an online course with WordPress.

4. Build an Ecommerce Store

Selling things online had never been easier. Anyone can easily create an online store in minutes and start selling products.

These products can be physical goods (things that need shipping) or digital downloads like eBooks, music, software, and more.

Before getting started, you need to do your research. Here are some tips to help you brainstorm ideas:

• Find a niche with high demand and low competition
• Think of ways you will make your eCommerce store standout by doing things that other eCommerce stores are not doing.
• Think of the costs involved in getting products from the manufacturer to customers. Choose a pricing model, so that your products can compete and offer great value to your customers. Last, but not the least, your profit margins must be reasonable enough to ensure that your business can sustain and grow in the long run.

You also need to choose a platform for your eCommerce store. The easiest way to get started is by using Shopify or WooCommerce. They are both great platforms. We have created a comparison with their pros and cons (see Shopify vs WooCommerce to learn more).

To get started, see our step by step guide on how to create an online store in less than 30 minutes.

5. Build a Membership Website

Membership websites make money by selling subscriptions with access to premium content and community features. Instead of relying on advertising revenue, you can allow your users to directly support your website with paid memberships.

There are many types of membership websites. For example, some membership websites give users access to exclusive members-only content. Others give users access to community features like a forum, Facebook group, or Slack group.

You will need to find a suitable niche for your membership website. It needs to be valuable enough for users to pay for it.

There are plenty of membership software that can help you easily build any kind of online community. You can choose different subscription models, manage users, receive online payments, and more.

To learn more, see our ultimate guide to build a membership website with step by step instructions for beginners.

6. Make a Drop Shipping Website

Drop shipping combines affiliate marketing and eCommerce. Basically, you create an online store to sell other people’s product for a commission. You will be running an online store without managing the inventory or shipping.

The biggest advantage of running a drop shipping business is the low barrier to entry, minimum investment, and little to no hassle. However, one disadvantage is that you will be working hard to sell other people’s products at a smaller profit margin.

Most drop shipping businesses eventually start selling their own products to diversify their business and increase their profits.

7. Make an Online Job Board

Another way to make money online is by building a job hunt website. A job board website helps connect job seekers with employers for a small fee.

There are plenty of online job search engines, which means you will need to find a particular niche to make your job board stand out. For example, you can create a job board specifically for web developers or pet sitters.

You can charge a small fee for each job listing posted by employers, offer companies packages to post multiple listings or charge job seekers to upload their resumes.

There are plenty of job board plugins for WordPress allowing you to easily run your own job board business.

8. Create a Micro-Job Website

A micro-job website allows you to make money by connecting employers to freelancers and contractors. This allows you to make money based on the overall price of the job listed. Popular micro-job posting websites like Fiverr, PeoplePerHour, UpWork, and others generate millions of dollars in revenue each year.

Basically, you will be acting as a middle-man between the employers and freelancers. You will be paid by employers for each job, and after taking your commission, you will pay the rest to the freelancers upon completion of the job.

To get started, see our beginner’s guide on how to start a micro-job website like Fiverr with WordPress.

9. Become an SEO Speciliast

SEO or Search Engine Optimization helps website owners get more visitors from search engines. It is a skill that requires continuous learning and keeping up with the latest trends. SEO specialists can run their own agencies, work as freelancers, or join a company as a full-time employee.

You can become an SEO specialist by running your own successful websites or by getting certifications online. You can find clients on freelancing websites like UpWork and Freelancer.com.

SEO is a very competitive industry, and you will need to make the most out of the best SEO tools available on the market. You would also need to learn the basic WordPress SEO techniques, keyword research tools, and content-marketing tools.

10. Make a Food or Recipe Blog

Food and recipe blogs are a lucrative blogging niche and a great online business opportunity. Food and recipe blogs use a variety of techniques to generate revenue like using Google AdSense, affiliate marketing, selling recipe books, or run an online store.

You will need to be passionate about food and cooking. It is a competitive niche, so you will need to think of the ways to make your food blog unique and interesting.

To get started, see our step by step guide on creating a food blog and making money from your recipes.

11. Become a WordPress Developer

WordPress is the world’s most popular website builder. It powers more than 30% of all websites on the internet. This means that there are millions of businesses around the world using the platform.

This massive usage means there is a huge demand for WordPress developers in the market. WordPress is an open source software, which means anyone can write code for it, create themes, and make WordPress plugins.

As a WordPress developer, you can join top WordPress companies, big name brands using WordPress, or run your own WordPress development agency.

You will need to learn PHP, JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. There are many books, WordPress video tutorials, online courses, and WordPress tutorials that will help you get started.

12. Build an Online Marketplace

Another proven and easy-to-start business idea is to make an online marketplace website. These websites make money by allowing users to create their own mini-stores and selling products.

To attract sellers, you can choose a high-demand niche with lower competition. Make your platform unique and attractive to both sellers and customers by offering better user experience and support.

To get started, see our step by step tutorial on how to make an online marketplace website using WordPress.

13. Become a Graphic Designer

Graphic designers make money by creating images, business logos, website designs, sales pages, and more. This is a massive industry with tons of business and career opportunities.

To become a graphic designer, you will need to learn how to use professional design tools like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, etc. There are tons of vocational training schools, colleges, and universities offering courses to help you get started.

To promote your graphic design career, you will need to make a portfolio to showcase your work and skills.

14. Start a Fashion Blog

Do you have an interest in the latest fashion trends and news? Why not use it to make a fashion blog and make money from it.

Fashion blogs attract tons of advertisers, top brands, and promoters. They not only allow you to make money, you can also become an influencer and get other perks / benefits like free apparels, invites to exclusive shows, and more.

To get started, see our complete step by step guide on how to start a fashion blog and make money from it.

15. Become a Content Marketer

Content marketers help businesses promote their products and services by generating useful and highly engaging content. All businesses need content to attract customers. There is an increasing demand for content marketers that is not expected to slow down anytime soon.

Content marketers are good at writing content, but they are not just bloggers. They specialize in finding the content ideas that will bring more visitors and potential customers to a website.

To learn more, see this ultimate content marketing guide with step by step instructions for beginners to get started.

16. Become a PPC Expert

PPC is short for Pay-Per-Click advertising where advertisers pay for their ads when users click on them. However, not all business owners know how to effectively run these campaigns to get the maximum benefit.

PPC Experts help businesses run pay-per-click advertising campaigns on platforms like Google AdWords. They help find the right keywords and attributes to maximize the ROI on ads.

You can learn PPC by running your own advertising campaigns and by reading the material available on the internet. There are online certification programs that you can take to showcase your skills.

To find PPC jobs, you can use popular freelancing websites where businesses are actively looking for PPC experts.

17. Start a Podcast

A podcast is an episodic series of audio files which users can subscribe to download and listen. Podcasts are a great way to make a successful online business with many opportunities for growth.

Podcasts make money through advertisements, sponsorships, partnerships, and affiliate marketing. You will need to find a topic for your podcast that is interesting and engaging, so you can make your podcast unique.

We have created a complete beginner’s guide on how to start a podcast with step by step instructions.

18. Make a Reviews Website

Making a reviews website is another good online business opportunity. One of the most popular review sites, TripAdvisor, is considered to be worth more than $12 billion dollars.

However, it is a highly competitive industry which means you will need to find a particular niche with low competition. You can make money through affiliate marketing, displaying ads, or publishing paid reviews.

To get started, see our beginner’s guide on how to make a niche reviews website.

19. Buy and Sell Domain Names

Domain names are required to make a website. However, once you register a domain name, you are authorized to use it for as long as you want. Many entrepreneurs register domain names hoping to sell them at a higher price, very similar to real estate.

This online business requires investment and a lot of patience because you will be holding onto those domain names while waiting for an offer. This is a highly competitive business, and you will need to read as much about it as you can before getting in.

20. Buy and Sell Niche Websites

Making websites and monetizing them has become a lot easier. This has enabled many entrepreneurs from around the world to create successful websites and sell them like you would sell any other business.

Websites like Flippa are a great source to buy and sell established websites. Make sure that you do your research before making any investment. You will find tons of resources on Flippa to help you learn the basics.

There is a lot of opportunity to buy an underutilized website, optimize its revenue / growth, and then re-sell it for higher multiple.

21. Make an Auctions Website

Creating an eBay like auctions website is another easy to start online business idea. Basically, you make a website that provides users a platform to buy and sell products via online auctions.

You can add products for auctions by yourself or allow other vendors to run their own auctions. You can charge vendors a flat fee or a percentage for each auction item.

To get started, see our step by step tutorial on how to build an auction site like eBay using WordPress.

22. Become a YouTuber

If you like making videos, then becoming a YouTuber is an excellent business opportunity. YouTube is the world’s largest video hosting platform, second most popular search engine, and a massive global community of content creators.

It allows anyone to upload their videos, create channels, and make money from advertisements, sponsorships, and deals. Some YouTubers make millions of dollars each year, and there are thousands of YouTubers earning a six-figure income.

You can create videos on any topic. You can upload personal vlogs, educational channels like List25 or WPBeginner, video reviews, cooking channel, or almost anything you can think of.

23. Become an Instagram Star

If you like taking photos and making videos, then you should consider Instagram to start a lucrative online business. Instagram users are making a significant amount of money through sponsorships, product placements, endorsements, and more.

You will need a camera, some basic photo editing skills, and creativity to get started. After that you need a consistent strategy to regularly post new content. You should master the art of using hashtags to promote your Instagram posts and share them on your website to reach audiences beyond Instagram.

You will also need a website with a contact form page, so advertisers can reach out to buy placements.

24. Become a Video Editor

If you like making videos and editing them but don’t want to start a YouTube channel, then you can still use your skills to help other businesses. Due to the immense popularity of YouTube and Facebook videos, businesses around the world need professionals who can edit their videos.

You can start by looking for gigs on freelancing websites. At first, you will be working with random clients, but shortly after you will have a few regular clients offering you enough work to cover your time. You can then grow your business to start an agency or hire other freelancers to help out.

Don’t know how to make or edit videos? Don’t worry there are plenty of online resources offering free and paid tutorials and courses. You can invest some time to learn the basic skills and start working right away.

25. Become a Narrator

Narrators provide voice talent to video creators, filmmakers, and other digital content producers. A lot of YouTube channels are actively looking for people to narrate videos. Some basic voice training can help you easily start a profitable career.

You will need a good quality mic (We recommend Samson Mic or Rhode Podcaster) and audio recording software to record your voice-overs. You can then send the audio files to the client, so they can use it in their video.

You can find jobs on freelancing websites, and very quickly build a steady stream of clients.

26. Offer Technical Support

Do you like helping out people on tech forums? If you do, then you can explore opportunities to get paid for that. A lot of online businesses are actively looking for technical support providers to help their customers.

Basically, you will just need to familiarize yourself with the product and start answering questions. Many companies use live chat or a support ticketing system to answer customer questions. Often these jobs are remote, which means you can work from your own home.

27. Become a Lead Generation Expert

Lead generation experts help businesses find potential new customers or leads. They do this by using professional tools like OptinMonster to capture leads or boost conversion rates.

To learn more, see our beginner’s guide on how to to do lead generation in WordPress like a pro.

We hope this article helped you find the best and easy to start online business ideas that actually make money. You may also want to see our step-by-step guide on how to make a small business website.

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