Some of my readers have asked me why i prefer WordPress. Apart from its being one of the best blogging platform ever created, it is growing like crazy! According to Nielsen Online’s October 2007 blog traffic rankings, the blog-hosting site recorded 10.4 million visitors in September, representing 290% year-over-year growth from last September’s 2.7 million uniques. WordPress is now neck-and-neck with rival Six Apart’s TypePad service, which garnered 11 million uniques last month.

Both are still significantly behind Google’s Blogger, which attracted 29.6 million uniques, but that’s not an entirely relevant comp, since TypePad and WordPress are courting a more select user base.

Figures talk themselves. If you have not started using WordPress yet, i suggest you to do so. If you are planning to become a problogger, it is the best moment to enjoy WordPress. If you have any questions, please check below WordPress posts first, and then ask me.

How to Use WordPress For Your Small Business Blog? – Part 6

How to Use WordPress For Your Small Business Blog? – Part 5

How to Use WordPress For Your Small Business Blog? – Part 4

How to Use WordPress For Your Small Business Blog? – Part 3

How to Use WordPress For Your Small Business Blog? – Part 2

How to Use WordPress For Your Small Business Blog? – Part 1

I would like to start with a short recap of what we have discussed so far. If you read my post Five Reasons to Start a Small Business Blog before, you know that why it is necessary to start a small business blog already. Let me list down five reasons to start a small business blog once again:

1. Search engine optimization
2. A blog is an inexpensive form of public relations and marketing
3. A blog can be more effective than traditional methods of turning prospects into customers
4. Blogs can help you receive immediate feedback
5. Blogs are easier and less expensive to manage than full-fledged websites

I would like to start this part by asking you a question: Why Plugins? Why i stressed the importance of Plugins when talking about a WordPress blog?

Plugins are very important for your small business blog. Assuming that you are creating a blog to make money then you need to understand how critical it is to monetizing your blog. Plugins function to interest in your pages and provide extended functionality. The ability to post a comment via email may increase the traffic.

At the beginning you need to decide how you will make money from your WordPress blog. You have a few options like:

• Digital products (eBooks)
• Shopping cart
• CafePress
• On-Line Surveys
• Google Adsense
• Affiliate Programs

Actually there are many other options when it comes to making money from your blog. Sky is the limit. Just use your imagination and find some creative ways to make money from your blog. You can make money from your blog, while using it as a billboard for announcing the latest developments regarding your company.

Number 1: Search Engine Optimization

What’s the biggest benefit to starting a small business blog? You might be surprised by the answer: Improved search engine optimization.

Internet search engines view every entry on a blog as a unique Web page. The more posts, or individual entries, your blog has, the better its chances of ranking highly in relevant keyword search engine results. And the greater your search engine ranking, the more likely potential customers will find you. What’s more, blogs are more frequently updated than typical Web sites, which also helps boost search engine rankings.

Selecting the keywords that are relevant to your blog is the most important issue at this stage. You should seriously think about the keywords that are relevant to your blog. Everytime a blog posts a link to your blog with the keywords you identified, your blog’s chance to be listed on the top of the search results with those keywords increases.