five things you need for your website or blog

five essentials you need for your website or blog

The first thing you need for your new WordPress blog is a name.

website name

It helps potential visitors if the name of your website gives a hint about the content they may find there.

We used to call our business Skyscrapers International.

In our minds we pictured an international business with very deep foundations, and reaching up to the sky… just like skyscrapers do. Unfortunately, no-one else thought that. Everyone kept asking if we sold scaffolding and other building equipment!

Jot down a couple of alternative names, just in case someone has already registered your first choice.

tag line

A tag line is a short, one-line description of what you do; what your blog is about.

Something like “Independent GNLD Distributors in Nairobi, Kenya, supplying GNLD products and promoting GNLD business membership and training“.

This short description tells people you don’t work for GNLD: you’re an independent GNLD Distributor. It’s not permitted to encourage people to think your website is an official website run by GNLD.

It also lets people know which country you’re in; approximately where you are; that they can get GNLD products from you, as well as join GNLD and get business training.

The search engines like a description that uses words people are typing into their search boxes, so remember to use a word or two from the Google predictions in your browser, mentioned in the previous post.

About page

Write a few words about yourself for the About page on your blog, and read them out loud to yourself.

The About page is important, because people like to know who they’re dealing with.

Nothing too personal. Photo of yourself, bit about your hobbies, where you studied, things like that.

Try and incorporate some words from your Google predictions list, described in the last post.

Sounds obvious, but just a reminder not to share anything you don’t want the world to know. After it has been seen by the search engines, if you change your mind, you can’t remove it from their databases.

Contact details page

Best not to give your exact address… unless you want people knocking on your door. Your area or town is enough.

Phone number is okay, so customers and people interested in the GNLD business can contact you.

Facebook, Twitter, and other social media contact info, too.

WordPress does have a contact form facility, but it’s better to encourage your visitors to contact you by writing in a comment box. The comments, and your replies to them, are helpful for other visitors.

Also, search engines like blogs with many comments on them.

spam

If you write your email address in the normal way, you’ll get a lot of spam in your inbox.

Instead, write your email address so the spam robot searchers (usually shortened to spam bots) don’t recognise it, like this: amazinglysuccessfulGNLDdistributor [at] gmail [dot] com

It’s helpful if you set up an alias email account for your business mail only. Very easy to do this in Gmail, for example. Keeping the GNLD emails separate from your personal ones saves you time, and helps you keep track of your business.

WordPress has a Captcha facility on the comment boxes to stop spam. Captcha is the jumble of letters and numbers you have to recognise and type in a box, before pressing the enter key. Spam robots can’t do this; only humans can.

Legal disclaimer page

GNLD Distributors are not allowed to treat anyone’s medical condition (unless they’re medically qualified, of course).

So, you need to have on your blog that your writing is meant for information about GNLD’s products and business only, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, opinion, treatment, or prevention of disease.

You also need to say you are an independent Distributor, you don’t work for GNLD, that your writing is independent of GNLD, and has not been read or specifically approved by them.

photos

Distributors are not allowed to download and use photos from any of GNLD’s websites. To avoid copyright issues, it’s best to use photos on your blog you have taken yourself. State that they are your photos in the legal disclaimer.

copyright

State you own the copyright to your blog content (that includes your photos and everything you’ve written). If you don’t mind people copying and using your articles, say so. If you want them to ask your permission first, say that.

writing tips

Fire up your computer and type the About page mentioned above. WordPress is set up to handle articles written in MS Word or MS Notepad, so use whichever of the two programmes you prefer.

You want your pages and articles to look professional and polished.

Proof read them. Cut out the repetitive padding…phrases like “as I mentioned before”.

Office-speak is horrible too. “Future changes” sounds much better than “in terms of changes going forward”.

Several short sentences, instead of one very long one strung together with umpteen commas, are much easier for your readers to follow and understand what you’re saying.

Re-read. Edit. And re-read again. Make sure there are no spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. Save your work and go on to the next page on your list.

When the pages are complete, you’re ready to get your blog started.

In the next post: registering your blog, and exploring how it works :-)