The Blog Herald

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Kill Your Blog – Yes, You Read That Right! Posted: 28 Jan 2014 04:39 AM PST Editor’s Note: This post is written by Buck Flogging,  a bestselling author, book narrator, and online entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of the publishing company Archangel Ink, and is the creator of 180DegreeHealth and 180 Radio. That is really him in the photo too by the way. It’s not Photoshopped. Yeah, definitely not Photoshopped. And Buck Flogging is really his name. He is a descendent from the famous sausage-making Flogging family of Milwaukee. You know, Flogging Sausage. That’s me and Mr. Jingles! Isn’t he meowvelous! Once upon a time I had a blog. I blogged my little fingers down to nubs over a seven year period. In those seven years I managed to get my global Alexa ranking all the way into the top 90,000. I got 55,000 comments on my blog. I built a big, active forum. I put together a team of over a dozen writers. I managed to get hundreds of incoming links. I became slightly “internet famous” in that time and appeared on dozens of podcasts, summits, conferences, and conventions. By 2013 I was getting roughly 5,000 visitors to my site every single day on average, and my work was generating over $150,000 in annual revenue from all sources. I’m the last person on earth that you would expect to take a blog out to the woodshed. But at the end of November, 2013, that’s exactly what I did. I totally murdered the thing. Hasta la vista, bloggie. Don’t worry. It was quick and sudden. Very little suffering. That should please you. No bribe attempts or blubbering. It simply said “Please… please I need to live.” It was the please that caught my memory. Okay fine, that was a movie line. Damn 80′s. So many movie lines, so little time. Seriously though. I had the idea to pull the thing down, and in less than 48 hours my blog vanished. In its place remained something proud and mighty–dignified in all its lean simplicity. That my little blogger buddies, is a glorious squeeze page. I never knew why they called ‘em “squeeze pages” as they say in the biz, but now I totally get it.  They are totally huggable. I go and admire my site daily and give it a good squeeze. It’s easy to get my arms wrapped around it these days after trimming it down from roughly 5 million words (if you count comments, which were all systematically terminated with weapons of crass destruction) to a sexy 54. Source 54 words. I don’t know if you noticed that, but I just said 54. Here are some of the things that my new approach has done for me: I now get 3,000 new subscribers every month compared to just 150 subscribers when I blogged–all this on about a fourth of the traffic. My kindle book sales have jumped by more than 30%. I’m getting twice as much affiliate commission in my Amazon Associates account. I have an extra 20+ hours of free time every week since I no longer keep up with a busy blog and comments. I have had time, and more importantly–energy and focus–to write more books. I released three in January for example. No joke. I have had time to dedicate to starting two new businesses (seriously, not making this up either). My readers, especially NEW readers, are much, much, much happier and more engaged. I’m getting twice as many paid consultations. I’m much happier. Some other reason that I can’t think of right now so that I have a nice, even 10-item list. Turns out I was doing a lot of work and not having nearly as much to show for it at the end of the day. Or week. Or month. Or even year. And that is why I’m imploring you all to look much more carefully at your online business model. I sell the written word almost exclusively. I’m not a big sell-whatever-sleaze-I-can-find-that-converts kind of guy. If you really want to make money for your writing, as opposed to making money from your writing, blogging could very well be a terribly inefficient approach. Buck is here to save you. You can read more about why I moved on from blogging and on to something that works infinitely better for me in my new book, Kill Your Blog: 12 Reasons Why You Should Stop F#$%ing Blogging! This is not a sales pitch. The thing is free right now: January 27-31, 2014. Go check it out. It’s short, and it could change your writing career for the better in a profound way. The post Kill Your Blog – Yes, You Read That Right! appeared first on The Blog Herald.

The 2014 Website Builders That Are Aiding Designers to Create More and Code Less Posted: 28 Jan 2014 03:09 AM PST So you want to create a website? Who doesn’t? With all the resources available these days, practically anyone can build a website. You don’t have to be a pro to come up with a decent site, although it does help to know at least the basics. If, however, you do not have the luxury of time (and money), then you will want to opt for a website builder that will do most of the work for you. If you are a professional designer, and you want something that will provide you the results you want, fret not. This post is going to point you in the right direction. We understand your pain as a professional designer, and know how tired you are of the DIY website creators, which is why you'll love what we are about to share with you. Here are three website builders that will certainly make your life easy. The trick is to dig a little deeper with regard to the features they offer so that you can make an informed decision as to which website builder to use. Webydo This website creator has been routinely been cited as the leading 2014 professional web design platform for web and graphic designers. Webydo is a B2B platform targeted at the professional designer, giving them the power to be able to intuitively design, manage and publish hundreds of sites with ease. Let's dive into some of the pro features: Its interface. WYSIWYG. Drag and drop. And everything that makes creating a website a breeze while still providing professional-looking results. Its Pro Features. Working as a freelancer, you can use Webydo's robust CMS (content management system) to create multiple user logins, build your brand and add in your or your clients logo to add the business touch, and send branded invoices all from the same platform. Webydo is making it easier for designers to manage their designs and clients. Oh, and one more thing: Webydo has a free version, and for pros who want to take advantage of everything the platform offers, you can get the premium version for a little less than $8 a month. Zoho Sites As can be expected, Zoho also has an easy user interface. You simply have to choose a theme, and then drag and drop elements as you “watch” your website take shape. Zoho Sites are mobile-friendly, making sure what you create can be viewed by the countless mobile users out there. One thing you have to take note of: you can get started for free, but to truly enjoy its features, you’re better off with the premium version. That’s $39 per year plus $10 for your own domain. Weebly Weebly is one of the most popular website builders out there, and one of the reasons is that it has been around for a long time. Its free version does the job, but the result is usually less professional looking than most people would like. It is worth noting, though, that the premium version will allow you to use your own domain just like Zoho Sites. Basically, Weebly is a good choice if you are not looking for simplicity in all respects. Parting Tips Creating a website need not be a drag, and choosing a website builder need not be complicated. The bottom line here is to be honest about your skill level, and pick the service that suits you best in this matter. Additionally, have a clear goal in mind as to how you want your website to look and what features you want to include from the get go. With these things set, you will have an easier time building a website. The post The 2014 Website Builders That Are Aiding Designers to Create More and Code Less appeared first on The Blog Herald.

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