Promoting website with a blog

[dogmom327]

I'm going to get a blog set up this weekend to hopefully help our search engine rankings. I need some tips for making the most of my efforts

When I discuss specific products, should I link directly to the product's own page or should I link to our homepage?

Any other tips and tricks would be greatly appreciated!

[Mama Dragon]

Every time you link to a product page, I'd add in a "or visit our main site [link]"

If you're using WordPress, use the All in One SEO Pack and Google Sitemaps Generator (links on my blog with a bunch of other WordPress plug in links, all free)...they help you improve search engine rankings, especially if it's a self hosted blog

[dogmom327]

Thank you!

[Ame]

I recommend using Wordpress...

• install all in one seo pack plugin
• be sure you configure your permalinks
• set comments to moderated
• always reply to comments
• any mentions of products you sell or references to information on the website should be linked to that specific page
• be sure to have an about page
• be sure to have a newsletter or rss subscribe option on the blog

**by the way...your website is VERY nice. I love the graphics and simplicity of it. Its user friendly & eye appealing - way to go!

[HappyMommy2]

You might try creating a lens on squidoo and link to your website too.

[kssinca]

I have been thinking about using a blog to help with our website but this "install all in one seo pack plugin" sounds like using wordpress.org rather than wordpress.com. I know there are a lot of recommendations to host the blog on your website but I was going to go the free wordpress blog route just to get something up quickly.

Is it pointless to get the free wordpress blog? Our webguys are slow to work on our stuff so I'd rather not wait for them.

[Ame]

do you know if your hosting uses cpanel? If so...setting up a blog on your website would be as easy as setting up a free one.

[dogmom327]

Originally Posted by Ame

do you know if your hosting uses cpanel? If so...setting up a blog on your website would be as easy as setting up a free one.

Interesting. I know it does use cpanel so I'll have to have my hubby look into that. Of course I suppose having a wordpress blog is useful for all the SEO packs that are available.

[Ame]

Having your blog on your website makes it that much easier for people to find your site/store.

When you log into cPanel, look towards the bottom for a button that says FANTASTICO...once you click it, you will see a list of available programs/software to install ...Wordpress is one of them. You Just click Wordpress and then follow the prompts and it will install for you.

There are thousands of plugins for wordpress...you can do practically anything with Wordpress, by using plugins. So, if you ever see a blog and think "I wish I had that on my blog" just do a google search for ______ plugin and add it to your wordpress and wah-lah...you'll have just what you wanted!

[dogmom327]

Originally Posted by Ame

Having your blog on your website makes it that much easier for people to find your site/store.

When you log into cPanel, look towards the bottom for a button that says FANTASTICO...once you click it, you will see a list of available programs/software to install ...Wordpress is one of them. You Just click Wordpress and then follow the prompts and it will install for you.

There are thousands of plugins for wordpress...you can do practically anything with Wordpress, by using plugins. So, if you ever see a blog and think "I wish I had that on my blog" just do a google search for ______ plugin and add it to your wordpress and wah-lah...you'll have just what you wanted!

Awesome! Thank you! I misunderstood. That makes good sense. We'll just do that then. Much easier

[Ame]

no problem

[dogmom327]

Thanks again everyone! The blog is up. I'm hoping the SEO pack is working correctly. I thought it was going to auto-fill the appropriate tags but I couldn't see anything appearing the boxes so I filled something in myself. Man, I suck at this.

Besides having it hosted with my site (www.culturesforhealth.com/blog) and having a link to it on the main page, is there anything else I need to do to have it crawled?

Also, any ideas on how often a blog has to be updated to be crawled regularly? I'm guessing/hoping not everyday. Is once a week enough? Is more better or at some point are there diminishing returns?

[Ame]

set up your permalinks

sign up at feedburner.com and set up pinging and add a subscribe to my RSS feed box to your blog (feedburner will give you the code & tell you how to do it)

once a week should be enough...but a couple of times a week would be better

[Galatea]

:

[Galatea]

Originally Posted by Ame

I recommend using Wordpress...

• install all in one seo pack plugin
• be sure you configure your permalinks
• set comments to moderated

Yeah, how the heck do you do this? I tried to do the permalinks and it gave me some code for .htaccess. What do I do for that?

[Ame]

Here are a couple of video tutorials that should help you get those things done. If the videos don't help, let me know and I'll try to help.

WordPress blog settings

How to setup PrettyURLs on WordPress

Optimal SEO For WordPress: All In One Seo Pack

There is a video tutorial for almost anything you could possibly want to do with Wordpress

[Galatea]

Thanks for the videos, but i am still confused. Am I using the FTP built into my store cpanel? if so, how do I do that? When I asked pappashop, this was the response:

Making the .htaccess file writeable makes the storeadmin not work correctly and it may not be accessable plus its a security risk. It lets hackers be able to inject script.

Does that mean I can't do pretty URLs?

[Ame]

Making the .htaccess file writeable makes the storeadmin not work correctly and it may not be accessable plus its a security risk. It lets hackers be able to inject script.

that doesn't make much sense to me

you should be logging into your wordpress admin http://www._______.com/blog/wp-admin

then in the reading tab there is a place to change your permalinks.

It sounds like your host is talking about changing your links in your web store....not your blog.

Did you follow the tutorial "How to setup PrettyURLs on WordPress"?

[Galatea]

Originally Posted by Ame

that doesn't make much sense to me

you should be logging into your wordpress admin http://www._______.com/blog/wp-admin

then in the reading tab there is a place to change your permalinks.

It sounds like your host is talking about changing your links in your web store....not your blog.

Did you follow the tutorial "How to setup PrettyURLs on WordPress"?

I'm with you so far, but in the video, he uses FTPzilla to change the settings. Is that what I should do, or do I do it from the cpanel in my store admin?

[Ame]

sorry....changing permalinks in Wordpress should be done from the wordpress admin.

1. log into your WP admin
2. scroll down to the box called SETTINGS
3. in that box (should be 7th link) there will be a link to permalinks
4. click permalinks
5. I would choose month & name or custom structure (use whats in there by default (/index.php/%postname%/)
6. click "save changes"

That should do it