How To Use Redgage to Promote your Blogger Blog & Create Valuable Back-links

Using Redgage to promote your Blogger blog is a great way to increase traffic, build a network of followers, and create back-links to improve search engine optimisation. Another great thing about using Redgage is that you get paid whenever anyone visits your links!

Redgage is a social bookmarking/networking site, where members are able to upload blog posts, images, articles and - most importantly for bloggers - links to other websites or blogs. Every link posted appears on the Redgage website, and usually attracts several views in the first few minutes without any networking having been done, or friends having been made. With a large fan-base this number increases dramatically, and can generate a knock-on effect, with readers from Redgage tweeting, stumbling or digging your blog post, or sharing by other means.

Not only does Redgage help generate traffic but it can also help you in your quest to optimise your blog for search engines, by creating valuable back-links to your blog posts. Each time you post a link to a blog post on Redgage your blog becomes more visible to search engines, which will in turn drive more targeted traffic to your blog.

Redgage pays its members every time another member clicks on a link, and payment is made via a Redgage credit card, which is topped up each time the minimum payout level of $50 is reached. One of the ladies on my own Redgage friend list has earned over $500 promoting her website, and has no doubt also benefited from the increased traffic and exposure, in terms of her online sales.

The minus-point with Redgage is the time it takes to post each link: the system is fairly slow and you must add a description and tags, and choose an image from your blog post to display as a thumbnail, before you may add your link. However, for those promoting personal blogs, or with very small/young businesses, it beats paying for back-links elsewhere.

How To Add the Outbrain Ratings & Recommended Posts Widget to A Blogger Blog

Using the Outbrain recommended posts and ratings / thumbs up widget is a great way to gain additional exposure. Outbrain also helps you gauge which posts your readers find most enjoyable or useful - meaning you are able to plan future articles catering to your readers exact needs and preferences. This article will in instruct you in how to add the Outbrain ratings and recommended posts widget to a Blogger blog.

You may have already noticed the Outbrain widget operating on websites or blogs you've visited. It appears at the bottom of each post, in the form of images and links (as used on this site), or links only, to recommended articles or blog posts. These suggestions are supplied based on popularity and relevance, and the widget can be set up to display articles from your own site only, or to also display recommended articles from other websites. Displaying posts and articles from other blogs and websites means you risk losing a reader, but providing useful links makes your blog more useful to visitors, so you'll need to weigh up the pros and cons and decide which system is best for your blog. 

The Outbrain widget also provides an optional ratings or recommendation system, allowing readers to rate an article from 1-5 stars, or give it a 'thumbs up,' depending on how the widget was set up. This is a brilliant way for Bloggers to learn which of their blog posts are enjoyed by their readers, which will be a great aid in planning successful future posts. You can easily change all settings at any time, without reinstalling the widget, so don't worry if you change your mind about anything later on.

How To Add Outbrain Widget to A Blogger Blog:

1. Visit the Outbrain website.
2. Choose your preferred settings for image or text, and ratings or recommendations. 
3. Check box to accept terms and conditions and Click 'Blogger' as your chosen platform (Note: the latest version of Mozilla Firefox is unable to install the Outbrain widget - and any others I've attempted to add from external sites - so use the Google Chrome browser (which works perfectly), or another of your choice.
4. If you'd like to see traffic reports on your Outbrain views and ratings check the box saying 'Get access to advanced settings,' and sign up using your email address (this is optional).
5. Click 'Install,' at which point you will be redirected to your Blogger account to sign in or choose which blog you want to add the widget to. 
6. Click 'Add Widget.'

You should now have successfully added the Outbrain widget to your blog, and (if so) will see the recommended posts appearing directly beneath each of your own blog posts. If you have any problems you can contact customer services through live-chat, who should be able to rectify things for you.

Note: The Outbrain widget is set up to automatically use the CSS (colours and style) already used in your own blog template, but if it isn't appearing as you would like it to the Outbrain staff are happy to stop by and edit the CSS for you, should you have no prior experience doing so.

Using the Amazon Associates Affiliate Program to Monetise Blogger Blogs

Using the Amazon Associates affiliate program to monetise Blogger blogs is a simple way to help generate additional advertising revenue.

The Google Adsense affiliate programme has been around for many years, and there are already several major competitors in activity, particularly for those resident in the US. However, bloggers around the world are already using another reputable affiliate program to monetise their blogs, and it's recently been fully integrated into the Blogger dashboard, to simplify its use.

Amazon Associates is similar to Adsense, in that adverts for products will appear on your site, but the program provides far greater freedom regarding which products you promote, and exactly how you choose to display them. This may prove very beneficial to bloggers, who are now able to promote products specific to their blog's content.

You can to sign up to whichever Amazon Associates program you prefer - US, UK, Europe, etc., or you can sign up for multiple accounts in different currencies - which is very useful for those whose traffic is international. It means you can promote the best books available on your blog's main subject matter from several continents. 

However, when advertising products in a currency other than your own you will be paid by cheque, so will require a bank account that accepts foreign currencies (usually a business account). Alternatively, you can choose to be paid in vouchers to spend on the appropriate site, but this isn't going to boost your earnings, so should be avoided if possible.

To benefit fully from using Amazon Associates affiliate program you will need to spend some time choosing products relevant to your blog content, then adding them to widgets, and installing the widgets to your blog or website; if you don't Amazon will automatically choose your products (in the way adsense chooses your ads), and will often repeat the same products in several widgets or posts, thus minimising your potential earnings. You can also add individual products (as many as you wish) to each blog post, in the form of a text link, an image, or both.

You are also able to add a full Amazon store to your site, filling it with individual products, or choosing entire categories you believe will benefit your readers. This store can be set to open in a new window or can be embedded into your website so it appears to be a part of your webpage. Setting up and maintaining the system is far more time consuming than running adsense ads, but I can see the potential for far higher earnings if the programme is used carefully and the blog or website recieves enough traffic.

Amazon Associates has created all sorts of wonderful widgets to maximise your internet earnings, from banner ads and favourite product collections to flash slideshows. And you can often change the size to help you integrate the widgets to your particular website or blog, in a professional-looking manner. You are also able to add simple text links which display pop-up product reviews when hovered over. This means any product you might mention when blogging (book or album tiitle, or virtually any other product you care to think of, from Amazon's vast selection) has the potential to become a product link with all the information required by a buyer - price (new and used), average customer rating, stock level etc. - and a button to add the item to their basket without leaving your blog or website. As long as they pay for it within 90 days you get 5% commission, and this rate will increase as you provide more referrals.

Setting up an Amazon Associates account through Blogger is very simple: you simply click on the 'Monetise' tab in your Blogger dashboard, as if you were about to create an Adsense account, and click on 'Amazon Associates.' Here you'll be directed to set up an Amazon Associates account in your chosen currency in order to get started adding products or widgets to your site. If you're not using Blogger you should visit Amazon Associates via a search engine and set up an account. Full instructions will then be given as to how to proceed adding books or other products to your website.

How To Add A Custom Domain to Blogger Blogs Using Go Daddy

This article provides exact instructions concerning how to add a custom domain to a Blogger Blog, using the well-known internet provider Go Daddy. If your blog is hosted anywhere other than Blogspot, or you are purchasing a domain from another provider, you will need to refer to instructions supplied by your host, or the company providing your private domain.

When you initially set up a Blogger blog you are asked to choose a Blogspot web address - which may or may not be available, because each must be unique - or given the option of adding a custom domain. If the Blogspot address is available it will be formed as follows: 

http://(your name).blogspot.com - although anyone typing www.(your name).blogspot.com into their browser will be automatically redirected to your blog.

However, many small business owners feel it looks less professional to use a blogspot web address, preferring to add a custom domain and simply host the blog with Blogger. As you can see by checking your browser the url address for this site is a private one (there is no reference to Blogspot), yet this blog is hosted by Blogger. This provision also means that if the blogspot address you've chosen is already in use you can simply purchase a private domain and use that instead. To do so I recommend that you choose any Blogspot address that's relevant to content and then change over immediately to your private domain address. This way, should anything go wrong with your custom domain (like you forget to renew it), you will still have your Blogspot address functioning.

You can use any custom domain name for your blog, and setting it up is fairly simple, depending on which provider you choose. I purchased my domain names from Go Daddy, as their reputation is good and they currently have a great deal on .info addresses (around £0.60 for the first year!); they also offer bulk pricing for those buying a number of domain names. I found Go Daddy's own instructions for adding my domain names to my Blogger account far easier to work with than Blogger's own, which were incredibly confusing and didn't actually work!

How to Add A Custom Domain Using Go Daddy

The following instructions will guide you through purchasing a domain name from www.GoDaddy.com , setting it up correctly to work with your blog, and activating your blog to accept the new domain name:

1. Choose and purchase a domain name; if the one you desire has already been taken, as is fairly likely, a box on the right will suggest similar names available for purchase. If you have your heart set on a particular name there are so many extensions to choose from nowadays that you should be able to purchase some version of it. If you can, choose a .com, .net, .biz, or .info. Alternatively (and this is ideal if your visitors will come from one particular country), you can choose a demographic extension (e.g. .co.uk, .nz, etc.). 
2. Log in to your account manager at Go Daddy and click on 'Domain Manager,' where you'll see a list of your domain names.
3. Check the box for the chosen domain and click on 'Nameservers.' Choose 'park domain' and click 'okay.'
4. In domain manager, click on the web address in question. Under 'Total DNS,' click 'Total DNS Control.'
5. Under CNAMES (Aliases) find the line with www (it should be on the bottom row) and click on the edit button (a small icon to the right with a piece of paper and a pencil).
6. Edit the 'Points to Host Name' to 'ghs.google.com' and save.
7. In 'Domain Manager,' check the box of the address in question and click 'Forward,' choosing 'forward domain.'
8. Enter your blogspot url in the box provided, leaving the box below checked, and press save.
9. Log into your blogger dasboard and click 'Settings.' Under the 'Publishing' tab (which shows which blogspot address you are currently publishing on) you will find a link called 'Custom Domain.'
10. Click on 'Custom Domain,' where you will be given an option of purchasing a domain through Google (you may wish to purchase your domain directly through Google, but do check you can't buy the same name cheaper elsewhere, first).
11. Click on 'Advanced Settings' and enter your new domain address in the box provided, enter the verification code below, and save.
12. Now simply tick the box below your new domain name to redirect DNS traffic, and reverify the code.

You are now hosting your blog on your private domain name!

*If you've just purchased your domain please allow 24-48 hours for your changes to take effect. If after this time there is still an error you should contact Go Daddy customer services on their 24/7 helpline.

SEO Tricks: How To Add Meta-Tags to A Blogger Blog to Improve Page Ranking

This article will instruct you in how to add meta-tags to a Blogger blog, to help improve your page ranking. This is one of many great SEO tricks I'll be adding to the site over the coming weeks.

(If you don't want people to find your blog this article doesn't concern you, but for those who desire search engine traffic meta-tags are important.)

Meta-tags are hidden html elements (html is the name of the code used to create websites), that help search engines find and index websites and blogs, by providing information on their individual content. Meta-tags communicate to web-bots (the devices that trawl web-pages, searching for data) what type of content can be found on a site, to help determine whether or not it's relevant to specific search terms. Although meta-tags are not considered as important as they once were, if you have meta-tags you're more likely to feature in search engine results. This is obviously helpful to those wishing to promote a business, or to earn revenue from advertising. 

Unfortunately, while many web-services provide a simple way of adding meta-tags to web-pages, Blogger doesn't - which means you must create them and add them to your html code manually. This may sound complicated, but it's actually fairly simple - provided you add correctly formed code to the correct area in your html code (Blogger will reject improperly formed html). 

Before you go ahead and create your meta-tags you should understand some important points regarding how meta-tags must be formed in order to optimise your website, rather than being seen as spamming by robots.

• It's very important that you use the correct number of characters and words when creating meta-tags to improve page ranking, as using too many will have the opposite effect, thus lowering your ranking and, therefore, reducing traffic. 
• It's also imperative that you use relevant keywords in your meta-tags, and that no keyword is repeated more than three times. Choose keywords that are already used frequently in posts, in your blog description and title, and those in your url address IF relevant. Use a maximum of 200 characters and twenty keywords.
• The meta-tag description should be exactly that - NOT a list of keywords. Describe your blog accurately in a full sentence, with as few commas as possible, using a maximum of 150 characters. This description may appear below your link in search results, so you need to use it to provide accurate information, and to sell your blog to potential visitors by making it sound attractive/useful.

Before you begin adding meta-tags to a Blogger blog you should visit your Blogger dashboard, click on the 'layout' tab of the blog you wish to edit, and click on 'edit html.' You should now download a copy of your blog template as it is currently, in case you make any mistakes you can't rectify. Name the document 'template for (insert blog name here)' and add a number 1. You will no doubt be making further changes to your blog and backing up each template and numbering them in order will help you return your blog to any stage of its creation, should you ever wish to.

To create your meta-tags, simply copy the code from the image on the left into notepad or similar software (this is to remove any alterations in coding that occur when you copy it directly from the screen to your template), and enter your blog title, description, most important keywords, and other relevant personal details into the spaces indicated by three underscores inside brackets (___). Be sure to delete the underscores and brackets before saving, or the html code will be rejected by Blogger.

To create your meta-tags, simply copy the code from the image on the left into notepad or similar software (this is to remove any alterations in coding that occur when you copy it directly from the screen to your template), and enter your blog title, description, most important keywords, and other relevant personal details into the spaces indicated by three underscores inside brackets (___). Be sure to delete the underscores and brackets before saving, or the html code will be rejected by Blogger.

Now all you need to do is to copy your meta-tags and paste them directly underneath the first 'head' section in your html code. This is located very near the top of the code, and will appear on a single line, set several spaces in from the left, with an arrow on either side of the word (so is easily identifiable).

Paste/type the edited code directly beneath the word head (as shown in the image to the right - please click to enlarge) and press save. You have now successfully added meta-tags to your blogger blog home page!

If you experience any problems or are presented with an error screen please read the instructions again to make sure you didn't miss anything, or delete anything you shouldn't have. 

If you're still having problems leave a comment and I'll see what I can do - sometimes Blogger make changes to the system and this can cause errors.

SEO Tricks for Blogger: How To Choose Successful Blog Titles

Choosing a successful title for a blog post is a fine art that needs to be perfected quickly if you are to attract visitors and keep them on your site. Not only do you need to consider SEO (search engine optimisation) when choosing a title, but you also need to ensure it's interesting enough to make people click on your link over other people's, and to view more of your pages once they've landed on your site.

How to Choose Successful Blog Titles:

Successful titles must be informative, relevant to content, and should contain the most important keywords from your blog post. However, you shouldn't spam the title with unnecessary keywords, as this may go against your site's ranking, and will probably make little literary sense, thus potentially putting off prospective readers. Keep titles short, sweet, and to the point. Use the occasional relevant adjective (a descriptive word, such as 'successful,' as seen in the title of this blog post), or an exciting or unusual-sounding adjective to grab people's attention and encourage them to view your page/website.

When choosing a title, consider how likely it is that people will be searching for your title phrase and keywords, and expand upon it/them slightly, if necessary. For example, if I were to publish a blog post providing instructions in a new jewellery-making technique I'd created, with a name few people would know or search for, it would be sensible to title the post 'New Jewellery Making Technique: (Insert name of technique here), rather than simply naming the technique itself. Additionally, be sure to include the title phrase in your blog content at least once - more often if possible - but without interrupting the natural flow of the text. Also, use keywords from your title individually several times each during the text.

It's often a good idea to write an article using a title and keywords that are very specific and not often used. This increases your chances of appearing on the first page of search results, as there is less competition for those specific search terms. If you set up an Adwords account you are also able to check which are the most searched for keywords regarding your specific content, and to create keyword combinations using a tool. This can save an incredible amount of time. If you plan to publish many blog posts about the same topic (which is helpful for SEO) try to ensure each title is unique in some way.
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Why Blog? What Are the Benefits?

What are the benefits of blogging? Why do so many people blog?
There are many reasons for blogging, including, but not limited to:

• Recording thoughts and feelings in private (you can set your blog up privately, and use it like a personal diary).
• Sharing thoughts and feelings with the world (if you feel you have an important message or can entertain or inspire people with your musings).
• Keeping in touch with friends and family (updating them on any news you have, sharing photos, information, etc.).
• Creating an informative web-page for others about a specific topic, or topics, you are knowledgeable about.
• Promoting a business or charity.
• Selling products or services.
• Making money from advertising (although this will usually only work if you are also doing one of the above).

Blogging can also be great fun, and millions of people around the globe are already doing so regularly - and often reaping benefits. Blogs are designed in a very search engine friendly way, and are therefore great marketing tools. Blogger is just one of many blogging platforms, but it is entirely free and very easy to use for novices; it is therefore an ideal way for individuals and very small businesses to broadcast or promote themselves online, at no financial cost. If your blog gets a reasonable number of visitors you may also be able to display advertising and earn yourself some extra cash (more about monetising your blog coming soon!). If you have a paypal account you can also sell items from your blog, accepting payments through their secure server. As you can see, there are many benefits to blogging, whether for personal pleasure or business purposes.


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Blogspot in Draft: New Free Blogger Templates

Brilliant news for bored Bloggers!

Blogger recently released a draft version, allowing users to choose from several new professional-looking templates, all of which are easily customisable - even for those with no understanding of html - and all of which are absolutely free.

As you can see, I've already installed one here, and I'm very pleased with the result. It took a few moments what with adjustments, because it's a slower system then the current one, but I was able to change the size of the page elements with the simple use of a slider, choose from various new layouts, and adjust the colour and font for all text (even on gadgets). You can also add an image from a selection, which will form the background of your blog. To do this simply click on the tiny arrow next to the 'background image' box in the 'background' tab (I haven't used this particular function on this website, but you can see example HERE & HERE. There are many backgrounds to choose from, mostly themed (unlike the two I linked to, which are abstract designs), so you should find something suitable for your blog - if not simply leave it transparent).

To make use of the new version you need to log in at the address below, where you will find a new 'template designer' tab has been added to the 'layout' section, in your dashboard. From there it's pretty much self-explanatory - enjoy!

Please note that installing a new template on your blog will remove your current template, as well as all your widgets, gadgets and previous customisations; so, be sure to download a copy of your current template before changing, in case you are unhappy with the results.


Blogger in Draft


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Getting Started: Blogger Basics - Setting Up A Blog

Setting up a blog can be slightly overwhelming if you're new to the internet. This post is aimed at those with no prior blogging experience, nor any understanding of html (the code used to create websites). Here we'll cover the basics of setting up a blogger blog, such as choosing a suitable name and web address, customising a template, adding widgets, and applying appropriate settings.

If your reason for blogging is solely to keep in touch with friends and family, or to record your thoughts and experiences, you'll be ready to start after completing this stage. However, if you wish to use your blog to promote your business, or you want to display advertisements to generate a little income, you'll need to optimise and customise it further, as will be explained in future posts.

Setting Up A Blog:

• Before you go about setting up a Blogger blog you need to set up a gmail (googlemail) account, which you can do HERE.
• You then need to set up a Blogger account HERE, which you do using your gmail log-in details.
• Next you must choose a name for your blog and a website address (url). These needn't be the same, but it's best to use words that describe your business in your url if you're planning on using your blog to promote it. For example, if your business is called Zeena and you make jewellery your url should be www.zeenahandcraftedjewellery.blogspot.com, rather than www.zeena.blogspot.com. This is because including these keywords will help your website be found more easily by prospective clients later on (we'll learn more about search engine optimisation in future posts). It is also possible to use your own domain name (website address) for your blog, and this option may be preferable for businesses, as it appears more professional. However, this option isn't free or necessary and will therefore be explained fully in a later post.
• Once you've named your blog and the url has been confirmed as available (and you've checked spelling carefully for mistakes!) you can save it and move onto adjusting the appearance.
• After saving you will be directed to choose a template (a background design for your blog). If there are none you like the look of, or you have a specific theme/design in mind, it's possible to install a custom template, but this is far trickier than using one of blogger's own, so for now we'll work on a basic template by customising it with colours and fonts of your choice, to make it unique. This blog is currently using minima stretch, with a few slight changes to font and colour, but as we progress through various tips and tricks you'll see many changes occurring, all of which you'll be able to apply to your own blog, if you choose.
• Once you've saved your template-choice you can start changing colours and fonts to suit your needs, by clicking on the 'Layout' tab in your Blogger dashboard and then on 'Fonts and Colours,' where you are given the option to adjust many details. Play around here until you've achieved the look you want - and make sure you remember to save any changes!
• Now you can start adding gadgets to your blog. The 'Profile' and 'Followers' gadgets will have already been added to get you started, although these can be easily removed if desired; to do so simply visit your dashboard (see top left hand corner of blog page), click on the 'Layout' tab, then click 'edit' on the gadget you wish to remove and click the 'remove' button (and don't worry - you can always add them again at a later date if necessary, by clicking 'add a gadget' in 'layout'). 
• Adding third party widgets to your blog can slow down your page speed (which can affect page ranking), and some have also been known to cause errors or become infected with trojans, causing your entire blog to disappear, and making it very difficult to remove the widget; in particular live visitor counters seem to cause problems on the Blogger platform, and should be avoided unless you're using a reputable company such as feedjit. As a general rule when setting up a blog, add only those widgets necessary to improve the navigation of of your site and provide helpful functions for visitors; I recommend keeping the 'Profile' and 'Followers' widgets and also adding the following:

1. Subscribe To
2. Stand-Alone Pages
3. Recent Posts
4. Recent Comments
5. Blog Archive
6. Search Box
7. Label-Cloud (or list, as you prefer)
8. Share It.

• After adding these widgets you can move them around by dragging and dropping them in the areas provided. Once you have some followers (ask a few friends and/or relatives to sign up to get the ball rolling) you may want to place this widget close to the top of the screen to encourage others to follow, but until then it's better placed closer to the bottom (few people will follow a blog no-one else has shown an interest in). The 'share it' widget should always be placed near the top of the page (because it could bring you additional visitors, so needs to be visible), as should the recent posts widget and your profile and image (you may want to use your company logo here if you're intending to promote your business). Otherwise, arrange the widgets in an aesthetically pleasing manner, as preferred.
• Now you will want to adjust some settings so that your blog behaves in the exact way you wish. For example, do you want people to be able to comment on your blog posts? If so you need to consider moderating comments (pre-approving before publication), as blogs tend to receive lots of spam. Comments can be set up in the 'Settings' tab of your dashboard by clicking on 'Comments' and checking the boxes required. I would advise moderating comments and using a text verifier to prevent spam.  Alternatively, you may wish your blog to remain entirely private, or to manually invite only people you know as members; this is possible in the 'Permissions' tab, but you are limited to 100 readers. There are numerous other tabs in the 'Settings' area and you should visit each page and check all the boxes required to modify your blog to your exact requirements. You can change these settings at any time, should you feel you need to later on.

And that's it - you're ready to publish your first blog post! A sensible first post is a welcome blog or an introduction, explaining who you are and what your blog is about. 

Tomorrow we'll look at how to choose appropriate titles and how to use keywords to improve your ranking with search engines.

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Welcome Aboard All New Bloggers!

If you need help getting your blogger blog up and running, customising it or adding a third party template or widget, optimising it for search engines, or monetising with adverts and affiliate programs, you're in the right place.

After setting up my own blogger blog, running into all sorts of problems, and spending hours searching online for legitimate advice, and widgets that didn't malfunction, I decided to set up a blog to help others to do the same.

This is it, and over the coming weeks and months I'll be adding a new tip or trick several times each week, starting at the very beginning, for those with no prior blogging experience, and working up to trickier stuff.

So, if you're looking for legitimate advice, helpful tips and tricks, and links to useful websites and resources, please follow the blog or subscribe to the RSS feed and we'll have you up and running in no time.

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