Monday, June 21, 2010

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."

Walt Disney

The Glorious Schizophrenic Website Tool -- WordPress
By Sandi Krakowski

One of the easiest and most affordable ways to manage website content is with WordPress.

But there's a side to this software that many people miss. They think it's primarily a blogging tool.

In fact, more than 8.5 percent of all sites on the Internet, including eBay, are now in WordPress. So is the Early to Rise website. (They wisely made the switch a few months ago.)

You see, WordPress has a split personality. It's like a marriage between an engineer and a techno glam rocker. Opposites to the extreme. But that's what makes it ideal for all business websites -- including mine, by the way. I used it to build my entire 7-figure business.

With WordPress, there is no reason not to have a beautiful website -- that also has enough "juice" to keep your business growing.

In the past, we had two choices when it came to building a website.

1. We could hire a (usually overpriced) Web designer to do it. Then, if we wanted to update our site, change the copy, or do anything else to it -- we'd have to pay him to do that too.

2. Or... we could learn Dreamweaver and do it ourselves. But if you are like me, looking at HTML is like translating hieroglyphics. The more I tried to learn it, the more confused I became.

I recently heard of an expert copywriter who is encouraging up-and-coming copywriters to learn Dreamweaver. His thinking is that this will add to their skills and help them build a better portfolio of samples to show potential clients. I about blew a head gasket. "Sure," I thought, " confuse them with that technical monster and they'll quit the copywriting business altogether!"

You do NOT need to learn Dreamweaver, nor do you have to hire a Web designer to have a profitable business online.

WordPress allows you to edit your pages, create perfectly aligned tables, lay out your images and videos in just the right spot -- and you don't need to know one single thing about coding or HTML. It's wonderful!

One of the most exciting things about running a WordPress site is exploring its flexibility. Every day, a new "plug-in" or feature is added to help you create a site that functions the way you need it to.

Plug-ins are like attachments on a vacuum. They allow you to do things quickly that might otherwise take a long time. For example, since discovering the back-link and smart-link capabilities that WordPress can give me with a plug-in (that takes seconds to install), I've been able to automatically move hours of billable work to someone else.

Another thing you'll love about WordPress is that it connects you to all the major search engines and social media sites in seconds -- and makes it possible for you to compete for website traffic with much more experienced business owners. (Many of the students who've taken my WordPress classes ended up on page one of Google's search results in less than 7 days!)

So don't get stuck in the "I have to know it all" mindset before you begin to build your business site. Michael Masterson's Ready, FIRE, Aim approach is the way to do it -- and WordPress makes it easy.

Take the plunge today by getting WordPress from a hosting provider, which I prefer over the version found at www.wordpress.com.

Most important: Have fun with it!

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