Which are the best E-commerce platforms to date?

Best E-commerce platforms to look into

Here’s a rundown of the Top 13 most popular e-commerce platforms you should evaluate according to your answers to the above questions.

Volusion

Volusion is a user-friendly e-commerce platform that offers competitive pricing and customization options. It provides the necessary features for businesses to build and manage online stores, although scalability and advanced customization capabilities may have some limitations. Volusion’s customer support is adequate, and the platform ensures mobile responsiveness and security. While the available integrations may be more limited compared to some other platforms, Volusion offers a solid foundation for businesses seeking a straightforward and reliable e-commerce solution.

Wix

Wix is a popular website builder that also offers e-commerce functionality, making it a user-friendly and visually appealing all-in-one solution for businesses looking to create an online store. Its ease of use, customization options, and customer support make it accessible to users with varying technical expertise, although scalability and advanced functionality may be somewhat limited compared to dedicated e-commerce platforms.

Squarespace

Squarespace is a popular website builder that also offers e-commerce capabilities, making it an attractive option for businesses looking to create an online store. An ideal candidate to get the most value out of Squarespace as an e-commerce platform would be a small business that prioritizes visually stunning design, simplicity, and seamless integration with its existing website. 

PrestaShop

PrestaShop is a powerful and customizable open-source e-commerce platform suitable for businesses of various sizes. While it may require some technical knowledge and additional costs for hosting and customizations, PrestaShop provides a highly customizable and feature-rich e-commerce platform with a focus on cost-effectiveness and flexibility. 

OpenCart

OpenCart is a popular open-source e-commerce platform that provides a robust set of features for creating and managing online stores. Its ease of use, customization options, and active user community make it an attractive choice for users with basic technical skills

Shift4Shop/3dcart

Shift4Shop (formerly known as 3dcart) is a comprehensive, user-friendly, scalable platform that offers a range of features for businesses to create and manage online stores. The pricing model of Shift4Shop’s platform is unique and very attractive (it has to be the cheapest e-commerce platform out there that’s not open-source), but currently only available in the USA: the entire end-to-end platform, including all its premium features and marketing capabilities, is free if you process more than $500 per month through the platform.

Ecwid

Ecwid is a user-friendly and scalable e-commerce platform suitable for businesses of various sizes. It offers transparent pricing, extensive payment gateway support, SEO capabilities, mobile responsiveness, and a wide range of available integrations.

X-Cart

X-Cart is a more expensive, higher-end e-commerce platform than most of the other platforms in this guide, but if you need extensive customization and integration ability (for example, you can create your own multi-vendor marketplace with X-Cart), then it’s worth it. 

nopCommerce

nopCommerce is a powerful open-source e-commerce platform with a strong focus on design customization, scalability, and robust e-commerce features.

Choose wisely!

Picking the right e-commerce platform for your business is a crucial decision that can significantly impact your online success. Take the time to research and evaluate each platform in light of your business today and where you see your business going in the future. By carefully considering factors such as scalability, customization, customer support, pricing, and integration options, you can identify the platform that aligns best with your goals and objectives. The right platform should empower you to showcase your products effectively, provide a seamless shopping experience and drive your business growth in the competitive world of e-commerce.

The post 13 Top E-commerce platforms and how to choose the Best one for your business appeared first on WiseStamp.

If you answered yes to any of the above, this detailed guide is for you.

In this article, we’ll discuss the benefits of increasing blog traffic, provide statistics, and give you tips to create a blog post that gets noticed.

We’ll also discuss various blog marketing tools, how to get traffic for free, and how to increase traffic. We’ll also provide some free blog creators that you can use to get your blogging career started.

Before we get started, it’s important to keep in mind

Find topics related to your product or industry that people SEARCH for!

2. Leverage social media

Social media is an easy and effective way to gain more blog traffic. It’s important to share your blog posts on social media. You don’t have to promote your blog posts religiously, but you should share them on a semi-regular basis.

You can post your blog posts on:

Facebook

Use Buffer’s guide to create the perfect Facebook post to drive good results. Then post it to your business page and share it on your page. Digital marketing on Facebook can be a bonanza for increasing blog traffic!

Instagram

To promote your blog post on Instagram, start by sharing your featured image. Then over the following days and weeks, share other images from your post to draw attention to it. You can also use Instagram Stories to create teasers, highlight your content, and add pins and unique posts.

Try using themes and hashtags to increase visibility and reach the right audience. Additionally, make sure to network with other bloggers and comment on posts to build your following and drive more traffic to your blog.

Use a smart insights guide to create a memorable Instagram post and promote your blog.

Pinterest

Pinterest is a social network that encourages you to become interested in a visual way. Since you’ve already created a great image for your post (and maybe even more than one), now’s the time to pin it to Pinterest and drive more traffic to your blog.

Learn how to create the perfect Pinterest profile with this guide.

Twitter

With 320 million monthly users, Twitter is a very effective platform on which to share your content. And since Twitter rolled out its tweet performance analytics, you can now track the number of impressions, shares, and mentions your tweets receive.

You can use Wishpond’s guide to help you use Twitter to drive more traffic to your blog.

StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon is the travel-the-web-in-serendipity social platform that finds and recommends content you’ll love, based on your preferences. It’s a great platform to discover new content and can be an excellent source of targeted traffic if you know how to use it correctly.

Reddit

With over 36 million users and 7.93 million pageviews a month, Reddit is an important platform to be a part of. What’s especially unique about Reddit is its tight community of users who are known to band together for a good cause. Start promoting your blog posts on Reddit!

Linkedin

You can also share your blog posts on LinkedIn if you feel that it fits your target audience.

It’s a good idea to mix other non-blogging-related content with your blog posts. This will help you to diversify your social media posts and avoid seeming like you’re only promoting your blog all the time.

You can also promote your blog posts in groups, on forums, and on other social media platforms.

Other social networking platforms to consider for blog exposure:

In addition to the social media platforms we’ve all heard of, there are many smaller platforms that are attracting more community-based engagement.

Joining these sites and becoming a contributing member (this means listening and engaging with more than just your own content), will also help you drive more content to your blog and increase your readers and subscribers. Assuming of course that the subject you’re writing about is relevant to the community.

BuzzFeed

Sure you’ve heard of BuzzFeed. But did you also know that BuzzFeed has a community you can be a part of? That doesn’t mean that just because you’ve written a blog post you should submit it to BuzzFeed. What it does mean is that if you’ve written a humorous post, shared cool stuff you’ve come across, or written a post in which you share some entertainment or social news, the BuzzFeed community might just be the place for you to post.

GrowthHackers

GrowthHackers is the online community that suits growth hackers and marketers who are writing high-quality articles about growth hacking, marketing channels, user acquisition, engagement, product launches, and more.

Quora

Quora is an incredible platform where you can ask a question and get an answer from the likes of Sheryl Sandberg. Beyond listening to the questions that are being asked (which is important to do on every social platform you’re on) and learning a ton from the answers, you can also be the professional that’s providing valuable insight.

3. Write long-form content

Long-form content is a great way to increase your blog traffic. Long-form content means that your blog posts are at least 2,000 words in length.

Blog posts that are longer than 2,000 words tend to rank higher in search engines in most cases.

Try to cover all aspects and answer all questions related to your blog post title.

4. Post frequently

The most popular opinion on publishing frequency says that posting frequently is better for traffic because the more you post, the more frequently search engines index your content. But that’s not to say that you must post 3-5 times a week.

A blog is like a cake batter – consistency is important. So whether you decide that what’s right for your blog is posting every day, or whether you decide to post only once a week, make sure you’re consistent about the day and time your post goes out. Your readers will begin expecting a post from you at those times, it’s important not to let them down.

One suggestion that will help you stick to your publishing schedule is an editorial calendar. Decide the subject of the posts you’re covering as well as the date and any other information that will help you meet your deadline.

5. Leverage influencers

Influencers are people with thousands (if not millions) of followers on social media.

You can use influencer marketing to promote your blog posts to their followers and drive plenty of traffic to your blog.

How can I get influencers to share my blog posts?

You can:

• Ask influencers to share your blog posts
• Ask influencers to review your blog posts.
• Offer to review the influencer’s content in exchange for a shout-out
• Ask the influencer to guest post on your blog.
• You can also guest post on the influencer’s blog in exchange for a shout-out

And of course, you can always pay influencers and get a campaign up and running

6. Perform Interviews

Find interesting experts to connect with and speak to about the subject you’re blogging about. By reaching out to experts you can help people gain more insight and understanding about a subject they’re interested in.

In addition, the people you’re interviewing will be happy to share the interview with their fans and followers on social media, which will help you tap into a new source of traffic to your blog.

7. Write Reviews

Whatever it is you write about, there are no doubt products, websites, books, and podcasts that are related. Seek them out. Review them. Whether it’s a positive or negative review, share it. If it’s a positive review, they’ll most likely be excited to share it.

If it’s not so positive, but fair and honest, and provides insight on how it could be made better. They may listen and you could get a respectful dialogue going. If they don’t, you have lost nothing. Your readers will respect and appreciate your insight.

8. Write guest posts

Guest posting works two ways – accepting guest posts to your blog and writing guest posts for other people’s blogs. What should you do? Both.

By reaching out and inviting other talented bloggers to write a post for your blog, you can offer your readers a fresh point of view while providing your guest blogger with exposure to your audience.

It’s a situation where everybody wins, as long as you have clear guidelines about your target audience and the type of post you’re looking for.

By guest blogging on other blogs, you hook up with other writers in your niche, get your name out there, and gain more exposure. When guest blogging, it’s important to make sure you know who the target audience is and what the guidelines are.

Be a good guest poster and share your post with your readers as well as some kind words about the blog you’ve been featured on.

If you’re looking for free blog creators, there are a few options available:

One of the most popular free blog creators is WordPress.

• WordPress is a great platform for creating a free blog, as it is easy to use and offers a variety of features and customization options. Additionally, WordPress also offers a variety of free themes and plugins.

• Another popular free blog creator is Blogger. Blogger is a great platform for creating a free blog, as it is easy to use and offers a variety of features and customization options.

Finally, there are also a variety of other free blog creators such as Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace. Each of these platforms offers a variety of features and customization options, as well as free themes and plugins.

Grow blog traffic using email marketing

Email marketing allows you to send newsletters, automated emails, and other forms of marketing to your subscribers, who have opted-in to receive emails from your blog.

It helps to build relationships with your readers and allows you to target them with relevant and interesting content.

With B2C or B2B email marketing, you can increase the visibility of your blog posts, while also providing readers with valuable information they won’t find anywhere else.

When it comes to email marketing for promoting blog posts, the first step is to create an email list of your subscribers.

1. Your Email List

Grow your email list and send out your content in the form of an email or better yet, incorporate it into a fun and info-packed newsletter.

2. Your Email Signature

You may have never thought about it this way, but your email signature is a blogger’s dream come true.

Sure, you send out lots of emails a day, but when your email signature has the power to update itself with your latest blog post in tow, lots more people are going to be reading your latest blog post.

Click for: blogger email signature examples

Conclusion

Increasing blog traffic can provide numerous benefits such as increased reach and engagement, the potential to generate income, and improved SEO rankings.

To increase blog traffic quickly, you should create content that is valuable and engaging, optimize your content for SEO, promote your blog posts on social media, and engage with your readers. Additionally, there are a variety of blog marketing tools and free blog creators that you can use to help you get started.

So what are you waiting for? Start boosting your blog traffic now!

The post How to increase blog traffic: the ultimate guide for 2024 appeared first on WiseStamp.

The post How to build a B2B sales funnel: 6 essential steps appeared first on WiseStamp.

How to choose a merchant service provider

The first step is to choose a merchant service provider to set up your merchant account. Merchant service providers are companies that give you the ability to process credit and debit card payments for your business’s goods and services. There are a lot of different merchant service providers to choose from, so it’s important to make sure that the one you choose offers these:

• Fraud protection
• Different ways to process payments- online, mobile and point of sale (POS)
• Low fees for each transactionIt’s important to choose a merchant service provider that meets your business’ specific needs.

Once you’ve chosen the merchant service provider that you like best, you then need to open a merchant account with them in order to start accepting payments through their service. Once you are all set up with your merchant account, you need to sign up for an online payment gateway like Stripe or PayPal.

These services process your clients’ and customers’ payments for you with the credit card issuers (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and more). In return, they charge you, the business owner, a fee for each transaction. But, don’t worry, they do not charge your customer! 

There are many online payments services out there, each offers different benefits and plans, the main ones are

What are the best online payment services?

• PayPal.
• vcita
• Stripe
• Amazon Payments
• WePay
• Dwolla
• Braintree
• WePay
• 2Checkout

https://youtu.be/RwBDHZW7Jlg

The post How to accept payments on my website (2024) appeared first on WiseStamp.

You’ve worked hard to build a website for your business, and now you’ve reached the point where you want to see a return on your investment. However, with words like payment gateway and best WordPress plugins being thrown around, it’s a difficult decision.

What’s in this article

• What to look for in a payment gateway for WordPress
• Top payment gateway for WordPress (comparison)
• 8 best WordPress plugins payments solution

That’s where this list comes in handy. It contains the best wp plugins that won’t make your head spin with code.

Before you change your site, you need to make several decisions. Deciding these now will help things fall into place later.

1. Involves what you’re selling. You are likely to build your website around something specific. Bear in mind how the customers who need your product or service might expect certain styles of payment.
2. Consider all WordPress plugins on your list. Most wp plugins work together, so this should not be a huge consideration.
3. Another oft-overlooked consideration among WordPress plugin lists is how the look ties into your branding. Many are customizable, but you need to consider the overall appearance as well.
4. You will also need to consider how much you want to spend. There are free WordPress plugins available, but they may not be the best option for your needs.
5. From there, it’s into the technical details. Adding a payment button to WordPress requires you have a payment gateway or processor behind it. This choice is a big decision and changing it can be challenging. See below for further considerations.
6. Next is choosing a method to accept those payments. That’s where all the wp plugins come in with their varying features. That’s a big part of this article.

What to look for in a payment gateway for WordPress

The payment gateway is your engine to accept payments. The gateways do all the backend work that gets you paid, like requesting payment from credit card companies. However, not all payment gateways are created equal, and there are some essential things to check for.

Choose a gateway before you select a WP plugin for payment

Transaction fees:

Come out of any sale you make on your site, so it’s a big deal. This fee is often figured as a percent of each sale, which is how the payment gateways make money.

Additionally, you may be charged a flat fee per transaction. This one is typically less than 50 cents (USD). When payment gateways do not charge this, typically you will owe a higher percentage of the sale.

Charges:

Some payment gateways also have additional charges associated with them for specific operations. Items like account setup and withdrawal fees fall in this category. Expenses can add up quickly, and that can affect how you run your business.

Recurring payments

Recurring payments are a popular option for memberships, courses, and masterminds. You may even use them for product-based businesses where customers receive a monthly or weekly box.

Recurring payments are not a guaranteed feature in payment gateways. If you intend to use them immediately or in the future, check the included services carefully.

Availability:

One thing that does narrow down both payment gateways and WordPress plugin lists is availability. Unfortunately, not all services are available in all regions. There may be a fantastic wp plugin, but you cannot access it based on your computer’s IP.

Along with location restrictions, payment gateways also may not handle the currency you need. While most support the common currencies, it may be difficult for you to find one that supports more regional options.

Processing time

Processing time is a significant consideration, especially for your small- or medium-sized business. You do not want to have outstanding sales figures but run out of cash. Checking how long it takes a payment gateway to get you the money prevents this problem.

Top payment gateway for WordPress comparison

The best payment gateway for your business depends on what you need. The top picks mentioned here work with most of the best WordPress plugins.

1. Stripe

Stripe is an amazing option for a payment gateway since it was conceived as one. The big selling point with this payment gateway is the number of currencies available.

Right now, Stripe is available in over 35 countries and supports over 135 currencies. Since your website has a global reach, that’s quite important.

Additionally, Stripe lets you customize your payout schedule to an extent. Typically, it takes seven days to process payments. In the U.S., you can have payouts within two days of processing.

As for the price, Stripe comes in at a reasonable 2.9% on top of a flat 30 cents (USD) per transaction. Currency exchange is another 1% fee.

2. PayPal

PayPal was founded over 20 years ago, and that experience shines through. PayPal’s big selling point is being available in over 200 countries, meaning you can accept payment from most of the world.

At the time of this article, PayPal accepted over 100 currencies. However, the company is expanding offerings based on customer interest.

As for the price, PayPal charges 2.9% on top of a variable flat fee based on what currency the customer pays in. In USD, it’s 30 cents. Additionally, there is a 1.5% additional charge on international commerce.

3. Square

Square’s selling point is its integration to the physical point of sale services. Suppose your store uses a terminal or the Square application. In that case, adding Square as the payment portal on your website keeps all your bookkeeping and inventory together.

Recently, the physical point of sale integrations for Square went worldwide. However, the integration as a website payment gateway is not complete. Right now, it’s only five countries.

Square also charges 2.9% plus a flat 30 cents (USD) fee. The software does not currently support different currencies.

Best WordPress plugins for simple payments comparison

The best WordPress plugins for your business will vary. This article focuses on options, even though some may be under WordPress premium plugins. This difference is due to some WordPress plugins offering a premium version with more features than the free options.

While you’re examining plugins, remember to check for cross-device compatibility. You never know what device your ideal client will find your website on.

8 best WordPress plugins payments solution:

1. vcita online payments 

Vcita was designed with appointment-based businesses in mind. That means it’s an excellent solution for everyone, from barbers to lawyers. Additionally, vCita offers integration between the online appointments and your schedule.

Vcita’s plug-in payment solution is best for businesses in need to get paid fast and easily. Pay for goods and services and it costs $12 USD a month however $8/m for an annual plan.

Key features

• Unlimited payments per month
• Unlimited site buttons
• Buttons inherit theme design
• 26 supported currencies

Pros

• Wraparound solution
• Flexible booking
• Multiple gateways options
• Easy to design
• Copy & paste shortcode to embed on your website. 
  payment reminders

Cons

• Some limitations after the free trial is up

2. WPPayForm wp plugins

The idea behind WPPayForm involves the flexibility to be what your business needs. The wp plugin lets you design your own forms using their drag and drop software. There’s no coding required.

The free version works with Stripe, while the PayPal integration requires the Pro version. WP pay form is best for businesses that want flexibility and the price is US$47 annually

Key features

• Unlimited form options
• Supports all currencies Stripe does
• Accepts donations
• Integrates with event management plugins

Pros

• Allows customers to enter an amount
• Custom design your forms
• Ahead of regulatory requirements

Cons

• PayPal integration is a Pro feature
• Limited customer support

3. WP fluent forms

WP Fluent Forms is built by the same people who made WPPayForm, and the two integrate well. The WP Fluent Form plugin focuses on effortless building, so you can get back to running your business.

If you decide to buy the pro version, it contains an even more impressive array of integrations that save you time moving data between programs. This plugin is best for flexible businesses and the price is US$59 annually for a single site.

Key features

• Lightweight and responsive form building
• Conditional logic
• Form library and customization

Pros

• Integration list
• Data analysis
• Multicolumn option

Cons

• No AWeber
• Zapier is a Pro feature

4. Forminator

Forminator is designed as an all-in-one form solution. It is open-source, which means you can build custom wp plugins based on it. That’s useful if you need something you cannot find elsewhere.

The Forminator Pro package offers numerous less obvious site benefits, like marketing packs or extra plugins. Best for versatile and engaged entrepreneurs, price: US$60 annually for a single site

 Key features

• Builds a wide variety of forms
• Quiz and poll forms available
• Stripe verified partner

Pros

• No pro subscription needed for payment integrations
• Fixed and variable payment options
• Open for modification

Cons

• More integrations behind a pay wall

5. PayPal Donation

PayPal Donation is a simple wp plugin that instantly monetizes your website. This one is not designed as a sales solution. Instead, it allows visitors to support their favorite site or cause.

The pro version has useful features like recurring payments and drop-down menus. These add to the professional appearance of your site. Best For: Not otherwise monetized websites and the price is US$50 per year.

Key features

• Donate to a PayPal account
• Multiple button options
• Supports what PayPal does

Pros

• Both widget and shortcode options
• Custom button designs

Cons

• Recurring donations are a Pro feature

6. WooCommerce

WooCommerce is less a plugin and more a shopping environment. The company behind it, YITH, only offers a few of their plugins for free. Without the payment control one, you will have difficulty getting the free WordPress plugin running smoothly.

With that in mind, WooCommerce is a robust system loaded with features. The payment WordPress plugin is the best for those features. However, the free WordPress plugins like this one will get you started. the price depends on how many additions you make and its best for: eCommerce.

Key features

• Designed for combined use with other wp plugins
• Streamlines PayPal checkouts

Pros

• Open Source

Cons

• Updates can be difficult
• Stripe integration is not free
• Requires YITH plugin too

7. WPForms

WPForms originally included only contact forms. That’s since expanded into a full-service form builder, including payment options. Unfortunately, for payment solutions, you do need a pro subscription. Best for businesses whose leads find them and the price is US$40 annually.

Key features

• Form library
• Mobile responsive
• Integrated designs

Pros

• Build custom forms
• Conditional logic

Cons

• Useful integration behind a payment wall

8. WP simple pay

WP simple pay is a serious option for robust payment in Stripe without dropping the .js code blocks. The free version does include as many checkout pages as you desire, which is excellent for up-and-coming businesses.

The Pro version offers niceties like staying on-site to check out and more integrations if you need them. The price costs US$99 per year and the plugin is recommended for non-techie business owners

Key features

• Unlimited payment forms
• Custom success and failure notices
• Part of Stripe Partner program

Pros

• Only deal with Stripe fees
• Brand checkout pages

Cons

• Drag and drop design is a pro feature
• Learning curve

Getting the most out of your payment solution

Now that you’ve chosen a payment gateway and one of the WP plugins off the list, it’s time to earn money. That requires a plan to gather traffic to your site once it is ready to go.

The most efficient way to drive sales regardless of product is through funnels. At the top of a funnel is the cold leads, in other words, the folks who do not know they need your service. Then they buy into one of your small promotions, like a workbook or a small gift for a spouse.

Once they buy something, they become a warm lead for a bigger sale. Generally, you can repeat this process several times while the customer works up to big-ticket purchases.

Funnels can happen using a variety of mediums, from automated emails to social media marketing. The important thing is seeing the viewers on your sales pages. Then you can deliver the product or service to customers that may not even know they need it.

Final thoughts

Finding the right payment gateway and the best WordPress plugin for your company’s needs requires careful consideration. You must look at where you are now and where you plan to be in the future.

Careful consideration and planning can help you set yourself up to achieve your goals, even with the complications that may arise. Instead, it’s best to celebrate this step forward. You’re providing another avenue through which you can deliver your products and services to the community around you.

The post Best WordPress plugins for payment solutions appeared first on WiseStamp.

Luckily for you, we’ve done all the legwork in finding, reviewing, and combining all the best website builders you should use based on your specific needs. Keep reading to find out which website builders to turn to when you want a fresh new site with any extra complications.

How to Choose a Website Builder for Your Business

If you own a small business or work independently, you absolutely need to have a strong web presence in order to compete in your market and generate new leads. That means setting up a website that features the following:

• Information describing your product or service
• A professionally designed web template
• A contact form for people to reach you directly
• A dynamic map of your location (if relevant to your business)

How can you build a professional-looking website for an affordable price and without any coding skills? Luckily, you can use a website builder—a tool that helps the average person (without fancy web skills) to create a highly functional and sharp looking website or webpage.

There are lots of website builders on the market—so which do you choose?

That will depend on your goal. WiseStamp recently introduced a webpage builder, WiseIntro, which is designed to help you create a sleek, powerful, and cost-efficient web presence in less than an hour.

Nevertheless, if you are still struggling to figure out which platforms to use, there are available website builders that can help by analyzing your needs, and giving you the best possible solution.

Now let’s take a deeper look at this solution and others so you can decide which fits you best.

Top small business website builders for non-specific use or niche

If you’re interested in the best website builders overall for any type of project, then this list has you covered. We looked at a few different options to bring you a select choice of the website builders we’d recommend, and then narrowed them down even further by niche. Let’s go!

1. Wix

Wix is a great DIY website builder that uses AI to help you build the site you want. Not only does it rely on AI, but there are tons of different templates that make getting started a simple affair. Add in an easy drag-and-drop editor, tons of added features for everything from beautiful image galleries to online stores, and you’ve got a great website builder to use for any type of project.

When it comes to niches, Wix is a great choice for almost any type of user. If you’re a blogger, you’ll find it easy to write new posts and add images or videos. As a photographer, Wix offers stunning image galleries to display the best of your photos. 

The free plan might cover your basic needs, but it is limiting in what it offers in terms of storage and capabilities. In order to make the most out of your Wix website, you’ll likely need to upgrade to a paid plan, which ranges in prices and features based on your needs. If you just want to connect a domain to your Wix site, it will only set you back a few dollars a month, but if you want more features, storage, better support, or e-commerce capabilities, costs can add up.

Top features:

• Easy drag-and-drop editor makes building a website easy
• Integrated dashboard analytics to stay on top of metrics
• Hundreds of templates available to choose from

Pros:

• Templates are highly customizable
• Wix App Market has tons of great add-ons
• Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) is helpful to use

Cons:

• Not easy to switch templates
• Customer service can be difficult to reach

2. Squarespace

Squarespace is known for its eye-catching templates that often feature minimalistic aesthetics, making it ideal for visual websites. If you’re a photographer or a designer, then Squarespace is one of the best website builders for you to showcase your portfolio.

Templates are customizable, and it’s relatively simple to tweak them to your liking. Other great features with Squarespace include marketing tools like integrated social media sharing options and even an email marketing platform. 

As for pricing, Squarespace is not a free website builder, so you’ll need to opt for one of the plans. The Personal Plan might be good if you don’t need a lot of extra bells-and-whistles, but opting for a higher plan, like the Business Plan will give you a lot more options to play around with.

Top features:

• Stunning templates ideal for photographers and designers
• 14-day free trial period
• Integrated marketing features

Pros:

• Great customer support
• Squarespace mobile app to edit on-the-go
• Optimized templates and designs

Cons:

• Web editor not as straightforward as Wix’s
• No free plan

3. WordPress

WordPress is an extremely popular website builder, and with good reason. WordPress powers countless different sites across the web and is popular for its versatile content management system. 

If you’re creating a website with a lot of content and you want the highest level of customizability, then WordPress is probably the best choice for you. There are two ways you can build a site with WordPress: on WordPress.com or WordPress.org.

They may seem similar, but they’re not the same. On WordPress.com, your site is hosted by WordPress, and on WordPress.org, you need to host it yourself through a hosting website. This gives you a ton more capabilities when it comes to adding features, templates, and designs. 

Pricing varies based on which website you use, but it is often one of the most popular free website builders. You can start with the free plan and then upgrade based on your needs if you want more storage, connect a domain, or add eCommerce features.

Top features:

• Forever free plan to use for building a basic site
• Highly customizable content management system
• Tons of third-party themes to choose from

Pros:

• Many add-ons in the form of plugins
• Great eCommerce tools
• Generous storage space

Cons:

• A more steep learning curve for site editing
• Need an upgrade plan to install third-party themes

4. Elementor

WordPress is an incredibly popular CMS.

There are ample reasons for this: Quite simply, WordPress offers users maximum creative flexibility and a near endless-number of plugins. However, until recently, you’d have to boast considerable programming chops if you wished to approach WordPress yourself. Not anymore.

With Elementor, just about anyone can create a comprehensive, stunning WordPress site, without having to write a single line of code. With more than 11 million active installs, Elementor offers users a wide assortment of features and tools with which they can create any type of website.
Features such as its code-free popup builder, form builder, and WooCommerce builder are amongst the most popular WordPress features available today.
Almost all of these tools can be accessed with Elementor’s extensive free plan
Perhaps most importantly, Elementor can now be used to host your website, as well.
With Elementor Cloud Website, web build stunning, comprehensive websites that will be hosted using best-in-class WordPress hosting starting at $99 per year.

Top features:

• Easy drag-and-drop editor makes building a website easy
• Powerful features such as a code-free WooCommerce website builder
• Built-in cloud hosting for WordPress

Pros:

• The premier way to create WordPress sites, code-free
• Compatible with thousands of WordPress plugins
• Extensive free plans

Cons:

• WooCommerce is not always the best option for enterprises
• Still has a steeper learning curve for beginners than some of the other platforms on this list

5. Pixpa

Pixpa is an all-in-one website-building platform for creative professionals and small businesses. It is especially suitable for creatives like photographers, designers, artists, etc who want to build their own portfolio website. However, it also has everything that any small business would need to build and grow their online presence – a built-in online store, blog, client galleries, SEO management, and marketing tools, etc.

Pixpa offers easy-to-use, responsive, and professional templates that can be customized using a simple & powerful visual style editor. The drag and drop editor makes adding pages to your website incredibly simple and intuitive. If you are someone with very little or no coding knowledge and are looking for a quick DIY solution for building a beautiful, professional website then Pixpa is the platform for you.

Pixpa offers a free, full-featured 15-day trial which you can sign up for without entering any credit card information. Pixpa’s paid plans are extremely affordable compared to other similar website builders. They range from $7 to $16 per month, depending on the type, and are all-inclusive with no hidden costs.

Top features:

• Mobile-friendly, responsive websites
• Integrated e-commerce, blogging, SEO and marketing features
• Full-featured client proofing platform
• Drag and drop website builder

Pros:

• No coding is needed. Easy to use.
• SSL security on all websites
• Extremely affordable pricing plans
• Ad-free experience. Unlimited bandwidth and fast loading times.
• 24X7 support (email, live chat)

Cons:

• Lack of built-in options for purchasing custom domain names.
• No free plans.

6. BOXMODE

Boxmode is a cloud-based website builder that helps people create beautiful websites without coding or design knowledge. From freelancers and small business owners to web developers and creative professionals, Boxmode offers a range of features and functionalities suitable for every need. Some say it is easier to build a website with the help of Boxmode, than to make a Powerpoint presentation!

The best part about this website builder is that you get it for free, also making it extremely beginner-friendly. The free plan includes options to create and manage your site, including a free subdomain and Boxmode branding.

The other pricing plans include the Lite and the Growth plan, where you’d pay $6 and $10 per month respectively (includes monthly and yearly payment options). These pricing plans offer more options such as 5GB storage, custom domain, domain mapping, chat support, advanced marketing, and SEO tools with no watermarks.

Top features:

• Domain Mapping
• Drag and Drop editor
• Ready to use pre-designed templates
• SSL Certificate
• SEO, marketing and project analytics Tools

Pros:

• No IT/ design knowledge required
• Starter/ free plan includes free Boxmode domain, unlimited bandwidth and 500 MB storage
• Great customer support for all plans
• HTML iFrame in Growth plan

Cons:

• The current widget library is lacking
• There is no font-preview before applying fonts

7. SITE123

Like Weebly, SITE123 is extremely easy to use, perhaps even more so. SITE123 allows you to create your own website in only a few minutes. You’ll be prompted to choose a design, add your content, and then your site can go live. Even if you’re not at all tech-savvy, this website builder is still easy enough to use.

You probably shouldn’t rely too heavily on SITE123 for more intricate designs if you’re looking for a website for something like a photography or design portfolio. However, if you want a simple website with just a few pages or even your own blog, then SITE123 does the job. There are easy-to-use SEO tools to get you found on search engines, as well as free web hosting.

SITE123 is also an affordable option if you’re looking for options for the cheapest website builder. There’s a free plan as well as a premium plan that includes a free domain for a year, increased storage, and eCommerce features.

Top features:

• Very simple web editor suitable for anyone
• 24/7 customer service
• Build an entire website in three steps

Pros:

• Use the free plan for as long as you want
• Affordable paid plans
• Easy to use all the features

Cons:

• Templates and layouts are more restricted
• Not ideal for a larger website with more pages

8. Duda

Duda promotes itself as the go-to website builder for agencies, SaaS companies, and freelancers, so if you fall into any of these categories, you may enjoy using this platform. Duda also prides itself on its mobile responsive design, as the websites are meant to look beautiful on any device.

Duda makes it easy to personalize your website so that you can display custom offers to specific customers based on things like their search history or location. This is a great way to target your audience, so if you’re a web or graphic designer for a specific niche, like eCommerce sites, for example, you can show visitors exactly what they want when they land on your website.

You can test out Duda with a free 14-day trial before committing to a paid plan. There are three main plans, Basic, Team, and Agency, and then there’s the option to customize a plan based on your needs. 

Top features:

• Great mobile website builder
• Easy-to-use drag and drop editor
• Personalize your website according to your audience

Pros:

• 14-day free trial to try Duda out
• Good site analytics tools
• Ideal for multilingual sites

Cons:

• Relatively high pricing with no free plan
• Lack of email newsletter integration

9. Jimdo

Jimdo puts ease of use at the core of its website builder. This site builder aims to remove any obstacles for anyone who wants to build a website for their business or project. When you start creating your site, you’ll find tons of templates for various industries, making it quick and simple to begin designing a professional-looking site right away.

Jimdo makes it easy for business owners who want to sell online to create an online store. However, even if you don’t have physical products, you can still use Jimdo to sell your services. For example, as a photographer or designer, you can use Jimdo to add photo galleries and catalogs to display your work before clients contact you.

If you’re looking for free website builders, you can use Jimdo for free as long as you want on the Play plan. When you’re ready to upgrade, there are a few plan options that will help you grow your business with additional tools like SEO, analytics, upgraded storage, and better design capabilities.

Top features:

• Non-complicated web editor to create a professional website
• Multiple industry-specific templates to choose from when getting started
• Plenty of control over SEO elements

Pros:

• Great customer support
• Unlimited storage with the Business plan
• Web editor intended for beginners makes it easy to use

Cons:

• Templates are restrictive and not as flexible as on other site builders
• Not the best online store website option due to certain limitations

Best blogging sites for small business

Sometimes, you don’t want to go through the hassle of building an entirely new website if you’re just looking to do one thing, such as writing blog posts. Luckily, there are still options out there that allow you to post blogs and reach a wide audience without going through the intricacies of creating your own website. Here are two platforms we recommend if you’re looking for the best blog websites.

10. Blogger

As the name implies, Blogger is a platform that allows you to create a simple website with one purpose: a blog. Still, that doesn’t mean Blogger skimps on any of the features you’d expect from a website builder. 

With Blogger, you can select the design of your blog, get a free domain, generate income using Google AdSense, and even gain insight into your readers with analytics tools. There’s a free trial to get you started so you can test out the platform and continue using it for free if you like it.

11. Medium

Medium is an open platform where you can read and share stories, articles, and thought pieces on any topic. It has become a popular blogging platform where anyone can post articles online and have other people read, react, and share them. 

It’s free to join Medium, and readers can subscribe for a few dollars a month to get more content that is specifically tailored to their interests. Medium is a great place to share your articles online and network with others in your industry, and the best part is you don’t need to build your own website to accomplish any of this. 

To Wrap Up

There are plenty of different website builders out there as well as other platforms that can benefit you if you’re only looking for a specific tool, like a blogging platform. Ultimately, the website builder you choose will come down to your personal preferences, your budget, and of course, what kind of features you’re looking for when building your site.

The post 11 best website builders for small-business to grow your online presence appeared first on WiseStamp.

Whatever the reason is, never forget about prioritizing user experience when developing a website.

This article will discuss twelve reasons why people dislike your website. This list is not to discourage! Let’s make sure your website visitors are engaged. The following top points will help you avoid committing mistakes.

1. Your Website Is Sluggish

The advent of Vines, TikTok, and memes have shortened people’s attention spans. Pages with multimedia that don’t load fast will cause customers to leave. Once users experience high-speed internet they will never wait around this demands a fast loading.

• Choose a reliable provider to host your site
• Use a clear coding language.

2. Lack of mobile optimization

Most people visiting your site also own a smartphone, and currently, mobile users outnumber users of desktop computers. That is why it is almost compulsory in today’s worldwide web to have your website optimized for mobile phones.

Users that visit your website are most probably smartphone holders. It’s important to have a webpage that is optimized for mobile phones. You don’t want to have customers zoom in and click the wrong button.

Using a mobile-optimized theme or application will help improve your visitor’s experience. Your site needs to be ideal for mobile use in order to be effective and competitive in today’s digital market.

3. Difficult to navigate

People may dislike your webpage because it’s not user-friendly. Meaning it’s hard to understand which page leads to what. This leads users to want to withdraw from your site.

Poor navigation can negatively affect the SEO rankings, the number of traffic, and the bounce rate. Here you go, If you want to learn more about UX patterns and design from experts.

4. Media That Auto-plays

If your site has an automated voice when clicking on it, get rid of it. This can be seen as music, instruction, or a video. Get rid of it, it only causes customers to bounce. If the customer wanted a video they would go to youtube. Nevertheless, this is something that you can control.

5. Incomplete contact information

If a site visitor has a question or wants further information, they will go to your contact page. If the contact information isn’t filled out correctly the user will think your site is fraudulent or unprofessional.

To avoid this, make sure that your contact information is up to date and accurate. When you receive calls or queries make it your priority to respond in a timely manner.

6. Incomprehensible “About Us” Page

Believe it or not, visitors do check out the “About Us” page frequently. Visitors who check this part of your website may be driven by curiosity or care. The about page is the break it or make it a test. If a client is interested and the about page is unbearable to read. You will most definitely lose the client!!

Make sure that your “about page” speaks to the emotional side of your clients. Focus on the language that people can connect with.

7. Keyword bombardment

It was believed before in the world of SEO that more keywords would mean better content. Optimization previously would have meant such – inserting keywords into all corners available.

The good news is that the times and search engines have kept up with the changes. This means that overly optimized does not necessarily mean good.

SEO writing tips are available everywhere on the internet and putting up engaging content into your website will more likely make your visitor a believer.

8. A blog-less site

A website with a complimentary blog is more effective since a blog site can provide opportunities for your site visitors to get more information and to proceed with caution through research. Business blogging is an effective tool to boost your website and company further.

Blogging is one of the best marketing strategies to drive clients to your website. There are a lot of search opportunities to use to create a proper blog post.

A potential client may do intensive research first before making contact for a possible service or sale.

If your site visitors see answers to their questions in your blog and that your posts have reassured them, they are much more likely to contact you or your team.

9. User-unfriendly internal links

Internal links are really helpful except when done incorrectly. Readers or visitors of your site may be pointed directly to other parts of your website that may give them relevant information.

However, one of the reasons why people may dislike your website is because your internal linking is not user-friendly or worse, nonfunctional.

Avoid using internal links excessively, only add these links to pages that will lead your site visitors to other relevant pages that will improve their experience.

10. Excessive pop-ups

Pop-ups can be useful, but too many of them are very disruptive. There is a right way to use pop-ups, and you may start by using them in moderation and tracking them for effectiveness.

Make sure that your pop-ups are smart, which means these are directed to a particular type of visitor or used for a certain purpose in your marketing. Do not forget to assess their effectiveness and whether these clicks create a better user experience on your site.

11. It looks ancient

Modern graphic design is cool and accessible. If your website looks as if it is stuck/ frozen in time that is a bad sign. With GIFs, and flashing multimedia content that reminds you of the early 2000s, your visitors will leave.

There is a lot of available software and applications out there that can help you make your site look stunning. There are sites that provide templates and themes that can be modified to suit your brand or objectives.

You just need the patience to look for them and perhaps throw in a few bucks to acquire that domain.

12. Too Many Stock Photos

What people hate about certain sites is the excessive use of stock photos. This practice will make your site indistinguishable from other sites. This could make your marking go downhill.

Too many stock photos also make your site look generic which will increase the bounce rate. To avoid this, use images that are unique (definitely with consideration of their copyright).

You may also opt for illustrations or simply use your own company’s photos. Websites with high-quality images are more compelling, and thus, receive more views.

The post 12 Things people absolutely dislike about your website appeared first on WiseStamp.

If you own an email account (and we’re pretty sure you do!), chances are you’ve heard about GDPR. You may have seen it referenced in different websites you’ve visited. So what is GDPR? And what does a business need to do for GDPR compliance? This article will answer these questions.

The post What is GDPR & how to make your business compliant? appeared first on WiseStamp.

Although great websites come in every shape, size, and color, there are some rules you should follow to give your visitor the best possible experience with your brand identity.

#1 Awesome visuals

Website visuals are composed of many things. It includes the images you use, the way you structure content on your pages, the way you present your videos, and the way you present your website interface.

Add original creative and high-quality images

Websites are visual creations. No matter how well you can explain your business, it’s the look of your website that will convey much of the information. That’s why it pays to put the time into finding the right high-quality images.

A large, full-width hero image can work beautifully to show off you and your product or services in the best light and make that first impression count.

Images can also work to break up the text on your website and keep your visitor’s attention, especially if your site is text-heavy. The general rule is to have at least one image on every page of your website. Any images should be related to your product, blog, or service and should serve to enhance your overall message rather than distract from it.

If you fancy yourself as a DIYer there are some nice photography tricks out there that make it easy to get creative and take your photos for your website. Alternatively, if you don’t have the time, there is a great range of high-quality stock photos that you can use for free.

Create a favicon (the logo that appears in the browser tab)

If you have a business, a great logo will make your brand stand out and add legitimacy. If you want a logo but are no designer yourself, there are some first-rate options out there without an eye-watering price tag attached.

We like 99designs, where you can sponsor a logo competition and a variety of different designers will post entries so you can just pick the logo that is right for you. Once you have a logo, you can use it everywhere—on your website, product packaging, social media accounts, and email signature.

Use white space

Too much information or clutter can be a strain on the eye. Though it may seem counterintuitive to leave space on your web pages, that “white space” makes it more visually pleasing and easier for people to focus on important information.

#2 Simplicity of use

According to Google’s research, users prefer simple and familiar designs —and they make a snap judgment about a website in less than the blink of an eye. Fortunately, most website builders offer templates and suggested layouts, so you already have an outline of where to start. Then you can just prioritize what is essential for your website.

Easy navigation

A clear and easy navigation bar should be short with a maximum of seven items. The more time people spend searching for what they want, the more likely they are to bounce. So prioritize your items to fit into one line of navigation. This makes for a more visually appealing website and is easier to scan through. If you need to add more items you can always create sub-pages.

Clear content

All the graphics and web design in the world won’t accomplish anything without some quality text that gives value to your readers. Quality text for your business doesn’t mean your website should be the next “War and Peace” novel, but take the time to think about what you want to say, then condense it in a bitesize paragraph or sentence. Asking a friend to proofread your work will make sure there are no hidden typos that can make your website seem unprofessional.

Scannable text

We live in an age where we can track news on our smartphones in real-time. People want to find the information they need and fast. Most viewers will likely skim-read your website, so try not to leave big blocks of intimidating text that people will just pass over. Break up your text into small pieces, use bullet points, headings, and images to add more white space.

Clear call to action

Of course, you want people to enjoy your website, but if you have an online shop or business, the chances are your main goal is to encourage visitors to buy your product or service. Once your visitors is interested in what you’re offering, a good call to action can help convert them into a customer.

Use a link or a button with an active tone to convey an engaging and snappy action to give the visitor a clear direction. For example “Curious? Read on” or “Let’s go!” The trick is to create a sense of urgency or anticipation and get people excited about your product in a positive way.

One call to action on each page is a good rule of thumb and will avoid your visitors searching around your site to get started.

Visible social media buttons

Whether you love it or hate it, social media is here to stay. Everyone is getting on the bandwagon; from Barack Obama being the first #POTUS on social media to more established brands realizing they have to change with the times.

Social media buttons should have pride of place on your homepage so visitors can easily “like” or “share” your post. It is an invaluable tool that previous generations didn’t have, to build up a fanbase and maximize exposure on a global scale.

#3 Solid infrastructure

Building a good-looking and easy-to-use website is only the element that people can see, but some of the most important aspects of a great website are happening behind the scenes and under the hood. These infrastructure elements can make or break even the prettiest website. Things like your technical SEO, your domain name, and the responsiveness of your website architecture.

If you are commissioning a website you should make sure these aspects are addressed in the design proposal. If you are building a website for others you should include these in your proposal (you can use this website design proposal template to save time).

Lay down solid foundations for SEO

Think that only humans will read your text? Think again. Google spiders are also crawling your website. There is a whole industry around SEO and keywords to get the best possible competitive edge.

Try to use words that people would type into Google to search for your website. For example, if you’re selling spiralizers on your website, you might want to drop in a few associated keywords or terms like “healthy lunches” or “healthy diet” in your website copy. If you are ready to go further but don’t have the luxury of an SEO expert on your team, try using Google’s Keyword Planner to find more search terms.

With most website builders, there are SEO settings that you can fill in on each page with a title and description. That will help Google know exactly what your page is about, and make your pages look better in search engine results.

Use a custom domain

A domain (website address) will show that you are professional and committed to your business or blog. Try to keep your domain name simple and catchy, so it sticks in people’s minds. If they love the service and remember your URL, the chances are they will pass it on to a friend.

If you can grab a “.com” domain for your business— great! Otherwise, there are also some good alternatives that you can associate with your brand, for example, “.org”, “.co.uk” or something like “.consulting” which is related to your business.

Build responsive page templates

Every day more people are checking websites on their mobile. This means your site has to look great on a desktop, tablet, and smartphone.

If you are building your website, make sure you have a responsive template active to help out mobile visitors. This may seem obvious to a more tech-savvy generation, but time and again I have checked out a reputable company’s website on my iPhone to find that text is all over the place. As a bonus, Google rewards mobile-friendly websites in its search results, so having a responsive template will help your search engine ranking.

Conclusion

Simplicity is key when building a successful website. Be creative with your content and imagery, but stick to a basic layout that visitors can navigate and understand.

Most importantly, remember that “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and neither will your website. Think of it as a work in progress that you can improve gradually. Even if you don’t have everything checked off your list, you can get started with the basics, and then finesse the details later. Your website should be a fun experience so enjoy the ride!

Article provided by Jimdo, a simple way to build your business website, with no coding or special skills required.

The post 3 Essential elements of a successful website appeared first on WiseStamp.

And marketers who use blogs receive 67% more leads than those that don’t.

Benefits of starting a blog

In case you’re still not convinced that your business needs a blog, here are just a few of the benefits blogging will bring to you and your company.

1. Blogging will help you establish yourself as an industry leader

Having a blog gives you a platform for sharing your knowledge and offering advice on topics related to your industry.

People who are interested in these topics will visit your blog, read your articles, and begin to view you as an expert in your field. When your blog readers need the service that your business provides, they will turn to you since you have proven that you are the best person to provide that service.

An example of someone that does this well is Mark Schaefer, a globally-recognized author, educator, and business consultant. Mark has an active blog that has been responsible for many of his book sales and for his growing reputation as an expert marketing strategist.

2. A blog will draw more visitors to your website

The more visitors that come to your website the more opportunities you have to sell your product or service. Writing high-quality articles that get found in Google search results will bring people to your blog who are interested in what you have to offer.

3. A blog will amplify your message

The fantastic blog posts that you write will not only serve as examples of your expertise but will also give people a reason to talk about your brand. Through your articles,  you can generate conversations and encourage the sharing of ideas that are in line with your brand’s message.

4. A blog will help you connect with your customers

Your business’s blog will become your voice for connecting with your customers and strengthening your relationship with them. You’ll write blog posts that your visitors may comment on, leading to interesting conversations. You can also use your blog to share videos, photos, and exclusive information, available only to your readers.

How to start a blog

Starting a new blog can seem a bit intimidating if you’ve never done it before. It’s true that there are several steps involved in getting a blog set up, but it’s really a lot easier than you might think.

In fact, I’m going to show you how to do it right now! By the time you finish reading this article, you’re going to know how to set up your own blog, optimize your articles for SEO, decide what to write about, and set up Google Analytics to track your results.

So let’s get started!

Step 1: Choose the right platform for your blog

Before you start creating amazing content you need to have a platform to publish that content on. Therefore, the first decision you’re going to want to make is which blogging platform to use for publishing your blog posts.

There are many options out there but here are three of the most popular: WordPress.org: This is the most widely used blogging platform, powering 26.4% of all the websites online.
Each day over 500 sites are being created on WordPress.

WordPress is free, easy to use, and offers a lot of flexibility, which is why it’s so popular, and why I so frequently recommend it.

If you already have a website then you can add WordPress as a page or subdomain of your site. Otherwise, you will need to find a service to host it, like Hostgator or Bluehost, which offer services specifically for hosted WordPress sites.

Cons: WordPress is a good choice for people who like to be involved in all aspects of their website. There is a bit of a learning curve in getting it set up, and it requires occasional maintenance and updates. If that doesn’t appeal to you, you may want to go with another option. Or you can hire someone to manage your blog for you.

If you want to go the super-easy route then WordPress has another tool that may be a good fit for you, WordPress.com, a free blogging platform hosted by WordPress.

Blogger: I actually started my first blog with Blogger and was very happy with it. It was easy to set up but offered enough options for customization that I was able to make my blog look just the way I wanted it to (though it required learning some HTML). Blogger is also hosted by Google and has built-in tools for Adsense, Adwords, and Google Analytics, making it easy to monetize your blog and track visitors.

If you don’t want your blog to be under the blogger.com domain you can purchase a custom domain through Google or add the blog to your website. You can find more information about how to do this on the Blogger Help site.

Cons: Since Blogger belongs to Google, your blog and all of your content technically belong to them as well. They can shut the service down or block access to your blog and there’s nothing you can do about it (not that this is a common occurrence, just something to be aware of). And while it offers more flexibility compared to WordPress.com, if, at some point down the road, you want more advanced blogging features, you may be disappointed. 

Wix: With Wix, you can quickly create for yourself a blog or website in a just a few minutes. Simply pick a template, put in your information and you’re done. There is a large selection of templates to choose from and the website builder is very user-friendly.

Cons: While a basic Wix website or blog is free it does come with quite a few limitations. Your site will have ads on it, you’ll have a wix.com domain and you’ll be limited to 1GB of traffic and 500MB server space. You also won’t be able to add Google Analytics.

To remove the ads, use your own domain, add analytics, or make use of the numerous plugins available in the Wix App Store, you’ll have to upgrade to a paid account.
Paid accounts range from $3 a month to $39.99 a month.

WordPress: If you want a free blogging platform that will be suitable for your business as it grows and comes with a lot of options for customization then WordPress is the one for you.

Blogger: If you have a small business and want a free blog that’s easy to set up and offers monetization options, then Blogger could be a good fit.

Wix:If you’re looking for the fastest and easiest option for setting up your blog, and don’t mind spending a little bit of money, then Wix would be a good choice for you.

Step 2: Choose your blog template

Once you’ve picked your blogging platform and signed up, it’s time to choose a template and customize it to meet your needs.

Your blog template provides all of the styling elements for your blog, including the colors, the fonts, the page layout, and any other additional design details.

This template has a specific layout that includes two columns, one in the middle and one on the right, along with a navigation bar on top and a few featured posts on the front page.

Many templates offer you the option to customize some parts of the design like maybe changing the colors or picking a different font. You’ll also most likely be able to change the picture at the top of the page.

At first, picking a template might seem a bit overwhelming because there are so many options to choose from. But keep in mind that you’re going to want a template that matches your website and brand, which should help narrow down your choices.

Common types of blog template layout

You’ll want to decide how many columns your blog should have, one, two, or three, and that should narrow down your options even further. Let’s see what this all means.

One-column layout

If your blog has one column that means that all of your content will be in the center and you won’t have any sidebars. This keeps the blog clean and distraction-free.  

This could be a good option for a blog in which the articles are the only attraction, but might not meet your needs if you want to have a navigation bar or ads on the sides.
Canva’s blog is an example of a one-column layout.

Their content is all in the middle and at the top are the same navigation bars that are present in the rest of the website.

There is also a social sharing bar on the left side. Which follows you as you scroll down the page, but which isn’t part of the template.
The Help Scout blog also has a template with one column and a social sharing button on the side.

Two-column layout

A blog with a two-column layout will include the main column of content along with a sidebar, which can be on either the left or right side of the page.

This is the most common format used by bloggers since the sidebar offers the space to include navigation links, a search button, subscription links, and an RSS feed. For your business blog, you will want to include your most important elements at the top.

If your goal is to get visitors to sign up for your email list then your email list opt-in box should be at the top.

At WiseStamp blog, we use a two-column layout for our blog. Our blog posts are located in the middle column and in the sidebar we have a search button, social sharing buttons, a call to action and a navigation bar.

Three-column layout

The three-column layouts are for businesses and websites that have a lot of information to display.in the sidebars, probably mostly advertisements. This layout has the risk of distracting visitors from the blog’s main content, though it may also give you more opportunities to promote yourself or your affiliates.

Mashable’s template is a three-column layout, with each column presenting different articles on the website.  

So how many columns should your blog include?

• One-column: If the sole purpose of your blog is to encourage visitors to read your articles then a one-column template should do the trick. This will keep your blog distraction-free and your visitors focused on your content.
• Two-columns: If you want to include more elements on your blog than just blog posts and a basic navigation bar, then you may want to go with a two-column template. This will allow you to add a sidebar with archives, polls, a logo, a newsletter sign-up, and many other elements that wouldn’t fit into a one-column template.
• Three-columns: If you have a lot of information that you want to share with your blog visitors, such as various navigation options and categories, as well as advertisements, then you might need a three-column template to fit it all in. Three columns are most frequently used for large websites with many pages or online magazines.

Once you’ve chosen your preferred layout you can begin browsing through the templates to pick one that you like.

Step 3: Choose your website colors

When deciding on the colors that you want for your blog, try to choose colors that match your website or logo, to keep your blog inline with your brand.

Step 4: Make sure your blog is mobile-friendly

Statistics suggest that in 2017 more than 63.4 percent of mobile phone users will access the Internet through their devices. This means that most people visiting your website will be using their phone or tablet, so you need to make sure that your blog looks good no matter what device it’s being viewed on.

Once you create your blog you can use quickly check if it’s mobile-friendly by putting the URL into Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test site.

Another helpful tool is Google’s PageSpeed Insights which will analyze the speed of your site and the user experience, offering suggestions for improvement.

To ensure that your blog is mobile-friendly Google recommends using a responsive design for your template, in which the layout will look the same no matter what device is being used to view your content.

WordPress has a nice selection of responsive themes on its website, as does Wix, and a quick search for “responsive Blogger templates” will also turn up some great options.

Make your website mobile-friendly with plugins

You can also make your WordPress theme mobile-friendly with a plugin like WPtouch Mobile.

Plugins are pieces of software that can be added to your blog to give it more functionality.

For example, if you want to have more options for editing pictures in your WordPress blog posts, simply download the Edik plugin and you’ll soon be able to flip your pictures around and even add filters.

One of the biggest advantages of creating a blog with WordPress or Wix is that there are hundreds of plugins available to enhance your site.

Most popular WordPress plugins:

1. Yoast SEO: Improves your site’s SEO.
2. Akismet: Blocks spam in your comments.
3. WP Smush – Image Optimization: Reduce image file sizes, improve performance and boost your SEO.
4. Contact Form 7: create customized contact forms.
5. Wordfence Security: Protects your blog from hacks and malware.

Step 5: Add social sharing buttons and subscription options

After your blog is set up you’re going to start writing articles that are so fantastic that everyone who visits your blog is going to want to share them with their friends. So you have to make it as easy as possible for them to do that, which is what social sharing buttons are for.

Here are a few popular tools that offer social sharing buttons to help you grow your blog traffic:

1. Shareaholic: This works with most blogging platforms, including Blogger, Wix and WordPress. It allows you to create share buttons for over 80 social networks and to customize the buttons and their layout.
2. You can also add Follow Me buttons to encourage visitors to follow you on social media.
3. Sumo: SumoMe offers several free tools to help you grow your website traffic, one of which is their social sharing bar. It’s supported by all major blogging platforms and works well on mobile devices.
   

To encourage your blog visitors to come back again and again, it’s a good idea to add a subscription box and RSS feed to your sidebar. In WordPress and Blogger, this can be easily done by adding the appropriate widgets.

• Directions for adding an RSS feed to Blogger
• Directions for adding an RSS feed to WordPress.com
• Directions for adding an RSS feed to WordPress.org
• Directions for adding an RSS feed to Wix

Step 6: Add your blog to your website

As I mentioned in the introduction to this article, two benefits of having a blog are that a blog can help bring more traffic to a website and it can help a website rank higher in Google search results through SEO.

But for a website to experience these benefits, the blog has to be attached to the website as a page or subdomain. So if your website is www.mywebsite.com your blog could be www.mywebsite.com/blog or blog.mywebsite.com.  

The process for doing this may be a little complicated so if you have someone managing your website you might want to ask them to add your blog for you.

Step 7: Add Google Analytics to track activity

This step is an especially important one, and unfortunately, it’s often overlooked by many new bloggers. After you go through the effort of setting up a blog, writing articles, and then sending those articles out to the internet, you’ll want to know the results of all this hard work.

Are people visiting your blog? Are they reading your articles? How much time are they spending on your blog? Are they visiting your website afterward? How are people finding your blog?

These are just a few of the questions that you’re going to want answers to and those answers are going to be collected through your analytics. Without analytics you’ll be marketing your business blindly, not knowing if all your effort has been paying off or not.

There a many different analytic tools but I’m going to concentrate on the one that’s most widely used Google Analytics.

Getting Started with Google Analytics

If you have a Google account that you use for Gmail then you should set up your analytics with that account. If you don’t have a Google account then open one up.

To set up your analytics go to Google Analytics and click on the link that says Sign In, in the top right-hand corner.

Select Google Analytics from the drop-down menu and when you get to the next screen (as seen below) click on the Sign-Up button.

The next page will ask you to fill in some information about your account and your blog as well as some security questions about who Google can share your data with.

Once you are finished filling out the page you will get a tracking number to install on your blog.

Adding the code to your blog is pretty simple. If you’re using WordPress.org then you can do it with a plugin like Yoast. If you’re on Blogger then you just add your analytics code to your settings.

To add Google Analytics to Wix or WordPress.com you will have to upgrade your account.

Step 8: Define your niche and target audience

Now that you have your blog all set up you’re almost ready to start writing blog posts. But first, you need to define your niche.

Why should you define your blog’s niche?

Defining your niche will help you decide what kind of topics you will be writing about and who your audience is that will be reading your blog posts.

It will also prevent you from straying into other topics that fall outside of your niche and which may confuse people who visit your blog and expect to read about a particular topic.

How do you decide on your blog’s niche?

Since you created your blog to help grow your business then presumably you will be writing about topics related to your business.

For example, if you’re a plumber then these are some subjects that you might write about:

• Common plumbing emergencies and how to deal with them.
• Frequently asked questions about plumbing.
• Tips for saving money in the home.  
• Preparing your home for winter weather.

It’s important to remember that your blog posts should provide value to your readers. No one is going to want to visit your blog just to read about you and your business. But if you are providing helpful tips and information that your audience can use then they will keep coming back to read more.

And not only that but when your reader’s toilet explodes and they need a plumber to fix it, you are the one that will come to mind because you have regularly proven yourself to be knowledgeable about plumbing.

Who’s your audience?

Knowing who you want to read your blog is also important because you will be writing your articles with these people in mind.

If you already have a clear picture of your business’s customers then you can extend that profile to your blog readers, because that’s who you want to attract to your blog.

You will also want to consider very carefully what these specific people want to read about so that you can write about those topics.

It can be helpful to sit down and write out a profile for your target audience.

• Are they men or women, or both?
• How old are they?
• Where do they live?
• What’s their income?
• What are their interests?

Compiling this information will make it easy for you to clearly imagine who you want to reach with your articles, and will also help you later on when you are deciding how to promote the articles on social media.

Step 9: Research keywords

The next step in your preparation for writing blog posts is learning to research keywords. Keywords are those words that people use when searching Google, or another search engine, that brings them to your blog or website.

Some keywords get searched thousands of times a day while others may just get searched a few hundred times.

Your goal, when writing a blog post, is that when someone searches on Google for the topic that you are writing about, your article is one of the first ones they will find. You want to be the person whose article about moving antique furniture shows up as one of the very first results.

In order to make that happen, you have to research popular keywords related to your business and write articles using those words or phrases.

Here are three tools that you can use for researching keywords:

1. Keyword Planner
2. Google Trends
3. Wordtracker

You can also research what keywords your competitors are using and try to rank on Google for those same keywords, using a tool like SEMRush. Take a look at this article for more information on researching keywords and using them in your blog posts.

Step 10: Create a content calendar

Not having a publishing schedule can be the downfall of a blog, even a successful one. A content calendar ensures that you’re always prepared for the next week’s posts and that you aren’t fumbling at the last minute to think of something to write.

Your schedule will also determine how frequently you post on your blog, which will give both you and your readers a sense of consistency.

Here’s how to create a content calendar:

1. Decide how many times a week, and on which days,  you want to publish on your blog
2. Using the keywords that you researched, create a list of topics to write about.
3. Open a spreadsheet and list the dates for the upcoming month. Assign a topic to each of the days that you will be publishing a blog post. If you want to get even more organized you can brainstorm specific article ideas for each topic and assign those to each day that you will be publishing.
4. Determine how long it will take you to write each article and make notes for yourself on the calendar when to start working on them.

And there you have it! Your content calendar is ready and you can now begin writing.

Step 11: Write a blog post and publish it

1. Use a catchy headline that will grab your readers’ attention.
2. After writing your headline put it into the CoSchedule Headline Analyzer to see how effective it will be.
3. Create an eye-catching image for your blog post. Use Canva to easily design fantastic images
4. Add the Eye Dropper extension to your browser to help you pick just the right colors for your images.
5. Find gorgeous free photos for your blog post at Unsplash and Pexels.

Congratulations! You just took your first step toward generating more traffic and leads. But your work is not over. Your blog is here but no one knows about it yet – now, you’re going to have to start promoting it!

Blogger outreach tips for beginners – How to make a name and grow your traffic

When you are a blogger, building quality relationships with other bloggers is a lot more important than you think. As my mentor, Jon Morrow likes to say… “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know online that matters”.

So, optimizing your outreach to create new connections should have a significant spot in your content marketing strategy.

Outreach is an incredibly effective method for increasing your blog traffic. It is the prime way I bring new readers to my blog. And it can be a first-rate approach for you, also.

Here are the 3 lessons you can benefit from today on blogger outreach.

1) Forge genuine relationships with other bloggers

Don’t befriend another blogger because they are famous. Instead, connect with them because you like their work, respect them, and believe that they can truly help you broaden your connections in a mutually advantageous manner.

Before you even ask another blogger to help you, make the first move. Find appropriate posts of theirs to link to by subscribing to their blog. If you find a post that you particularly like, write your own post sharing your opinion about the same topic and provide a link to the other blogger’s post.

Remember, quality links, and relevant posts will help your readers and your ranking. It’s wrong to assume that linking will ruin your Google PageRank or traffic.

On the contrary, your readers will surely love you for pointing them to other valuable articles through a quality external link. Aside from linking to them, you can also help your future BBF (best blogger friend) by:

• Referring other people to their blog
• Nominating them for an award
• Recommending them for an interview or podcast
• And sharing their posts on social media (and via your blogger email signature)

These actions will prove you want to get to know them better, leading to the beginning of an excellent relationship.

2) Use comments and guest posts to get your name out there as an authority

It’s not enough that you write great content. You need to promote that content to increase your exposure to new readers and to gain more subscribers.

Here are my favorite two ways to promote my posts.

Write Blog Comments

I wish I knew early in my blogging career about promoting your blog through blog commenting. I would have grown my blog faster by using this brilliant method of blogger outreach.

The key? Choose blogs that are relevant to yours and leave helpful, funny, or even (somewhat) controversial comments to pique the interest of the audience of that blog.

These readers will likely be interested in your content too since they found you after reading a blog relevant to yours in the first place.

To ensure that you will hook readers in following your comment over to your site, start by posting comments on as many similarly niched blogs as possible, creating at least 2 blog comments per day.

And remember, each of your comments must add information or raise a question about the topic being discussed. Don’t write a useless comment, like “Great post!”.

Guest Post Blogging

This is a popular practice in the blogging world, where you offer to write an article for another blogger. The other blogger gets a free article, while you, the guest blogger, get more exposure.

You can also gain traffic for your blog by including your link in the byline of your guest blog posts. I also indulge in “reverse” guest blogging. That’s where you have other bloggers write a post for your blog.

This is great for 2 reasons: 1) it gives you some time off and 2) it helps during stressful times or even vacations. Plus, your audience gets a different point of view on a subject near and dear to their hearts.

3) Promote your killer content

You can capitalize on your very best articles to further promote the post. This is how I show my clients how to do blogger outreach:

1. Inform other bloggers about your new post by email (but only after commenting on their posts for at least 3-4 weeks).
2. Post your articles in your social media accounts and ask for retweets and reposts.
3. Ask your friends to vote for your articles on social bookmarking sites.
4. Create a round-up post where you ask influential bloggers the same question, like a group interview

I know you are thinking, “I just can’t write an email asking an influential blogger to share my post!” Yes, you can.

Just casually mention in your email that you just wrote an article that they might like and if they do like it, would they mind sharing it. With a straightforward message like that, the other blogger just might read your article and, if they like it, they won’t hesitate to share it.

But if they don’t, it means that you need to put in some more work to create compelling articles that will easily earn the links and shares of the other bloggers in your network.

Takeaways

• Taking part in blogger outreach is important if you want to grow your readership.
• Having blogger friends helps you get more traffic and subscribers.
• Guest posting and commenting help you build authority in your niche, generating both income and amassing a huge following of super fans.

The post How to start a blog: 11 actionable steps anyone can do appeared first on WiseStamp.