I mentioned here on the blog that I had started a brand new blog where I share my fitness, health, and weight loss progress and that I was going to start sharing how I set up the new blog and how I drive traffic, get readers and subscribers, and how I monetize that blog.

So this is the first post of many where I will share what I’m doing with that blog. Obviously I’m sharing here from the blogging standpoint but if you’re also interested in fitness, health, and weight loss please join us over there on the blog Bikini After 40 so we can all encourage and support each other.

My buddy, Dennis, asked me if men were welcome … Yes, men are definitely welcome (despite the reference to “bikini”) to join us gals and participate there. Some of the topics are geared towards women but much of it is fitness, health and weight loss in general so no worries there.

OK … let’s get started …

Choosing My Domain and Setting Up the Blog

I’ve mentioned here on the blog that I use HostGator hosting and I use GoDaddy for all of my domains. Yes, they are affiliate links LOL but I really do believe I have a system down pat for setting up a new blog very quickly and without any hassle.

Domain Name. First, I choose my domain name. For my niche sites I choose domains that are very … hmmm … full of keywords, but for this site I wanted it to be something fun and catchy. I did however do the keyword research and luckily some of the keyword phrases I set out to tackle (“fitness at 40” and “fitness for over 40”) worked well for the domain I wanted. No, not an exact phrase like I usually try to get but at least it’s got a couple of my keywords in there. LOL.

I log into my GoDaddy account and I purchase the domain name. DURING the purchase there is an option to “Set nameserver.” (see image). Since I already have an account with HostGator I can enter the nameservers while purchasing and then everything is set up almost instantly (instead of waiting the 72 hours they quote). You can get the nameservers from your host or if you have other domains with GoDaddy that are hosted elsewhere you can get the nameservers from inside your GoDaddy account (find them attached to the other domains in your account).

Hosting. Then I go to HostGator via my cpanel and I add the new domain to my account. By the time I’m done doing this the domain is usually up and ready and online. I then go to the Fantastico section within my HostGator account and I add WordPress to the new domain.

I Select a Theme

For this particular blog I decided to go with Squeeze Theme. I am also using it here on suzannefranco.com and I’m starting to really like it (didn’t “not” like it before … I’m just technophobic and resistant to change LOL). Some of the reasons I chose Squeeze Theme for the BA40 site (that “BA40” looks kinda funny huh?! LOL) is that it’s (a) very easy to work with within the admin panel and doesn’t require a lot (if any) coding for what I need to do, and (b) I can add some “squeeze” pages for some optin pages (an example would be here on the sf.com blog http://www.suzannefranco.com/blogging-idol-secrets-revealed-ebook/). A “squeeze” page is typically a page that promotes something specific and visitors/readers no place to go but to buy/optin or leave. The one I used is a modified version where they can still see the main navigation buttons at the top but there is no sidebar to distract them.

On BA40 I will offer some free eBooks and possibly email mini-series so that I can grow my email list.

I Dressed It Up

OK … well I didn’t personally dress it up! LOL. I hired the very talented Chrissy Jensen (<– love her!) to do that for me. Initially she did the header and the color scheme (header, background colors, heading colors, link colors, etc.). This can all be changed within the Squeeze Theme admin area but I’m not creative at all so for me it’s best left to a professional. I also hired her for the optin box and some other graphics but we’ll get to those in an upcoming post.

I Defined My “Purpose” for the Blog

We often have ideas swimming around in our heads about a business and we never really map it out from start to finish.

When I first had the idea to do a blog about my journey to lose weight and get healthy it was more of an online journal to keep myself accountable. As I thought more and more about it and visited other blogs with a similar “niche” or “theme” I realized that I would eventually reach my goals and I would love to help others get there too. If you’ve known me for any amount of time you’ll know that’s what I enjoy most about being online … meeting new people and helping them as much as possible.

I have tried a lot of ways to lose weight … some have worked and some have failed. I would love to share what they are and the reasons I believe they worked or didn’t work.

I also have access to a great fitness trainer who is also a personal friend. I explained the blog to her and told her that I’m very lucky to have her helping me. I know that readers who don’t have access to a personal trainer will assume that it’s the reason I will succeed and the reason they can’t. So … I will be getting help from her to show my readers how they too can get in an incredible workout. She will show us effective home workouts we can do without any fancy club or equipment. Pretty cool huh?

So the purpose is to keep myself accountable and to help as many people as possible. When I find ways to actually monetize the blog I am open to that too. This is in stark contrast to the niche sites I set up that are simply there to drive traffic and/or sales to make me money! This one is very personal and I’m very passionate about it! The money will come when it’s time.

I Wrote Out Some Post Ideas and Outlined the Categories

I got a Word Doc started with my topic and post ideas … and after reviewing those I was able to define some of my categories. These will change as time goes by and I find my “groove” on the blog but it’s important to have some type of an outline to get started … or you WON’T EVER START!

(Side Note): Speaking of STARTING … I’ve said time and time again the biggest reason I believe people fail online is they simply never get STARTED!!! This isn’t brain surgery guys! It isn’t rocket science! Just take an idea … any of the hundreds you have swimming around in your head … and take that leap ok? What’s the worst thing that could happen? I can tell you … the worst thing that could happen is that you change your mind and you’ve spent $7.50 on a domain and you don’t keep it up and move on to something else. You will still have your hosting and you just start again and see if something else sticks. Come on … give it a go!

Get the eBook So You Can Follow Along

OK … that is a brief overview of how I actually got the blog idea off of my chest and onto the net. Next I’ll start using the very techniques I’ve outlined in my “Blogging Idol Secrets Revealed” eBook to drive visitors and subscribers to the blog. If you haven’t downloaded it yet you really should check it out so you can follow along.

Do you have any questions so far? Do you have the eBook yet? Have you implemented any of the ideas so far? What would you most like to see step-by-step (in more detail) while I build and promote my new blog? I’m here to help so just tell me what to do ok? *SmiLes* Suzanne

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I get a ton of emails asking me what products I’ve paid for and whether or not they were worth the money I spent. So, I thought I’d start posting about some of the products that I own and I’ll give you my honest opinion about whether or not I’d recommend you spend your money on them or not.

Yes, I’m an affiliate for some of them but if you’ve followed me for any time at all you’ll know I’m not here to take your money or scam you so relax and just read about the products without wondering if I’m trying to rip you off. LOL. I’m not. If you do see something that interests you and you want me to get the credit for your purchase go ahead and use the links here in this post. Thanks … and here we go.

HOST GATOR HOSTING

Host Gator Hosting. I’m going to start with my hosting because I think moving my sites to Host Gator might be the single best thing I did for my businesses since getting started online. I won’t go into detail here about the problems I had with my prior hosting company but you can read more about my move to Host Gator here.

Are they worth the money? Yes! I can say without a doubt that having trouble-free, high quality hosting is well worth the money.

(First month for a penny and then $9.95/month)

BANS – BUILD A NICHE STORE

BANS – Build a Niche Store. I started my eBay affiliate career (EPN) by purchasing the BANS product and I’m personally glad I did. I’m not very techie and I knew very little about websites at that time. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a product for total beginners and I did struggle at first with it. But, the installation manual and user manual are very detailed and helpful and the forum is simply second to none. I’ve learned so much on that forum not only about BANS but about all aspects of internet marketing and promoting.

I still have BANS stores and I will probably be building a few more stores here in the next couple of months. I have also purchased phpBay which is another tool for promoting the eBay affiliate program and some say it’s a more versatile product than BANS but BANS seems to be a bit better for beginners. Here’s my post with more information about BANS.

(One time $97.00 fee and good for an unlimited number of websites)

WEALTHY AFFILIATE UNIVERSITY

Wealthy Affiliate University. Wealthy Affiliate is an online membership site that teaches its members how to start their own online business using Internet Marketing … specifically Affiliate Marketing. I have never seen so much valuable information in one place … and I’m not kidding!

I will say that this information can be used to run and promote any kind of online business or website … even though its teachings are geared towards affiliate marketing. There were times where I read the material and the forum for days on end and I learned so much there. In fact, I believe the amount of time I invested in learning on this site would’ve earned me a degree of some kind LOL. I’m also going to be taking a class on PPC through their site here soon and I’ll let you know how that goes too. If you’re new to the online business world (or even if you’re not) this is definitely my favorite learning resource so go check it out now and let me know what you think (and let me know if you have any questions too).

(Now’s the time to check out WA – They’re offering a one week trial for $1.00! If you choose to continue with your membership it’s only $39.00/month and I promise you it’s well worth it!)

POTPIEGIRL’S ONE WEEK MARKETING ACTION PLAN

PotPieGirl’s One Week Marketing Action Plan. This eBook teaches you how to make money through affiliate marketing using FREE tools and methods … and it’s awesome! I feel like I’ve learned a lot over the past few years and quite honestly I didn’t expect to learn much from this eBook … but I really did.

Not only will you learn a lot but it gives you a step-by-step guide to use so you can start, and more importantly, FINISH a campaign without much trouble. I used it to target one of my fiance’s sites (I’m an affiliate for his site LOL) and I got top Google positions and traffic right away using her instructions. I plan to use it for many other sites/products and I now know it will work like magic. This one’s pretty much a no-brainer due to the low price! I’m certain it will more than pay for itself if you actually do what she instructs you to do.

The eBook also came with some killer bonuses. I don’t know for sure if they’re still available but if for some reason they’re not just shoot me an email and I’ll bet I can get her permission to share them with you. Definitely go check out PotPieGirl’s One Week Marketing Action Plan Right Now!

(Only $47 … I couldn’t believe it! It’s worth more I promise!)

30 MINUTE BACKLINKS

30 Minute Backlinks. I am a HUGE fan of Michelle MacPhearson’s 30 Minute Backlinks! The system she came up with is simply ingenious and there is no denying … it works!

She will show you step-by-step how to build hundreds or even thousands of high PR backlinks to your sites. The first couple of times you do this … I wouldn’t necessarily call it a “30 minute” project LOL … but as you learn the ropes that’s more fair. I will say it’s worth every minute you put into it.

I’ve used this system for several of my sites and so has my fiancé and we’ve both seen some amazing results. I’m almost certain it’s the reason my brand new destination wedding site already has a PR1 (after a month and a half online) and my fiance has several of his retail products that have risen (some quite a bit) in the SERPs after using this system. Check out her sales page and watch her video “commercial” and see what you think.

(It costs $97.00 and if you have a website … it’s definitely worth the moderate price tag!)

SUMMARY

Alright, I don’t want to give you information overload but I do want to give you a brief summary of these.

1. If you are just getting started online I personally would give the PotPieGirl a shot. One of the bonuses is an email journal of back and forth conversation between her and a guy she helps who’s never made any money online and he’s successful within the one week time frame.
2. My next choice for learning and getting started would have to be Wealthy Affiliate and with it being priced at a dollar right now … you can’t go wrong! I will warn you … there is NO WAY you could possibly get through all they have to offer in a week but it’s a great way to see if you’d benefit from their site on a monthly basis.
3. If you already have some experience and you’re looking for a way to diversify your income I’d recommend BANS as a way to make money with the eBay affiliate program (EPN). It makes it very simple to get some niche stores set up. You will be most successful with these if you understand keyword research and SEO.
4. If you already have a site (or several) you should definitely give the 30 Minute Backlinks a shot. What would a rise in the SERPs and a higher PR mean for your sites? For me it was well worth it!
5. I just can’t say enough about HostGator hosting so they will always have my endorsement.

If you have any questions about any of these products please let me know either in the comments section or by using the Contact Us page.

Have you used any of these products? If so, do you feel they were worth the cost you paid for them? Let us hear from you below so we can all learn from each other. *SmiLes* Suzanne

Trying out Number 1 Way to Make Money Online too …

and Niche Profit Classroom …

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Domain Name Registration Length

and Your Google Page Rank

Does your domain name registration length really help boost your Google page rank? I suppose no one knows for sure but from what I’ve been told by GoDaddy, and from the research I’ve done on the subject, it seems to matter. I personally figure … what the heck?! When it comes to the coveted matter of PAGE RANK … I’ll give it a shot … won’t you?

According to a patent Google was awarded, “Certain signals may be used to distinguish between illegitimate and legitimate domains. For example, domains can be renewed up to a period of 10 years. Valuable (legitimate) domains are often paid for several years in advance, while doorway (illegitimate) domains rarely are used for more than a year. Therefore, the date when a domain expires in the future can be used as a factor in predicting the legitimacy of a domain and, thus, the documents associated therewith.” I read this to mean that they do care about the quality of websites and will make an effort to determine whether or not each is a “legitimate” (or valuable) site or not … that domain registration length is a considered factor.

I often hear internet marketers talking about only registering their domain names for 1 year at a time and that way if they aren’t making enough profit they can dump the site and move on. Well, it seems to me that’s exactly why Google takes domain name registration length into account (as well as, the registration date – how far back you’ve had it registered). I’m sure you’d agree that this longevity shows a commitment to the domain name … giving it perceived “stability.” You don’t want to be erroneously perceived as a short-term or temporary spam site do you? 

In my recent post, “15 Things You Should Do to Help Google Do Their Job,” I listed domain name registration length, as well as, how long the domain name has been registered to the current owner as factors for your page rank. I had someone email me saying that they thought that was a “bunch of crap” and asking where on earth I came up with these notions.

Well, let me explain. When I spoke with a GoDaddy representative a few months back he noticed that one of the domain names I was reregistering was my name. He asked me if I’d like to register that domain for 5 or 10 years so I could improve my page rank. My reply, “What are you talking about?” He explained that I would be awarded “extra points” towards my page rank if I registered out for 5 or 10 years (he even gave me a break down of the points and I’ll dig out my notes and report back with them). I remember thinking, “How the heck could GoDaddy (or this guy) possibly know that?” 

Well, I went ahead and registered this domain, www.suzannefranco.com, for 5 years and on the very next round of page rank updates I went from a PR1 to a PR3! Of course I have no idea how much (if any) the domain registration length played a part in this jump … but it sure seems coincidental to me.

I’ve also read that Google indexes the public domain records from WhoIs and “uses” this information when determining page rank. When I was researching what was involved with purchasing an existing website I remember reading that the page rank might drop when you reregistered the domain into your name. If that’s true (who really knows) it seems that they do also take into account how long the domain has been registered to its current owner.

I wish I knew whether or not these factors were indeed considered in page rank. I’m going to go ahead and do a 5 year renewal on the domain for another blog of mine. It currently has a PR1 and I’ll report back with the results after the next update (rumor has it I just missed that opportunity and that we’re going through an update right now – can anyone confirm this?). 

What about you … how long do you register your domain names? If you have several domains do you find yourself treating some differently than others when it comes to the cost commitment of domain registration? Have you ever seen a jump in page rank after renewing a domain for a 5 or 10 year period? Please share your thoughts so we can all learn. *Smiles* Suzanne 

P.S. To the jerk who sent me the rude email … you mentioned that your blog was a PR1 and that you highly doubt renewing your domain name for 5 years would have an impact … did you spring for the $35 bucks out of curiosity? If it helped … you’re welcome and I’ll be happy to accept your apology! LOL.

P.S.S. I’m curious … if you truly believed in your position why didn’t you post here publically instead of sending me a nasty email privately? Things that make you go hmmmmmm …

Head over to GoDaddy NOW

and extend your domain name registration for 5 or 10 years
and see how you do this next update!

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HostGator ~ The Very Best Hosting On the Planet!

If you have a website (much less several) you may or may not know how important good, no, make that GREAT, hosting is to your business and your sanity! If you are not nodding in agreement right now then you probably haven’t (yet) been a victim of malicious hackers, had problems uploading website files, been told that your site pages load slowly … or worse yet, that you site is down for no good reason …

Well, I’m going to give it to you straight … if none of these things have happened to you yet – you are either very lucky or you too have found an awesome hosting company. A few months ago I switched everything over to HostGator and I’m not over exaggerating when I say that it has changed my life. I was miserable.

I was with IX Webhosting and I can’t tell you how many problems I had over a year and a half to two year period. I was hacked constantly, had missing files almost every time I tried to ftp files to my sites, and had files (important files) just dumped without warning every time their server got “full” or overloaded. The worst part of all was that instead of offering a helping hand and some consolation they would tell me it was somehow my fault … every single time!

In stark contrast, HostGator has been super helpful and all representatives have had such patience while dealing with me and my hundreds of questions … they even wrote a script to clean up all of the malicious code that had been injected into most all of my website files.

I you aren’t 100% satisfied with the hosting you have now or are in the market for the very best hosting company on the Planet … you’ve got to check out HostGator today! You won’t be sorry and I’m very proud to put my name behind them.

I personally use their “baby” plan which offers unlimited domain name hosting, unlimited sub-domains, unlimited MySql databases, unlimited pop3 accounts, web mail, email alias, auto responders, mailing lists, Fantastico (for one-click installation of WordPress blogs – sweet!), and much much more. The cost for the “baby” plan is only $9.95 per month and you can get a discount if you opt for a pre-paid package.

Go Check Out HostGator’s Site and Their Plans Right Now!

You won’t be sorry … (they’ll even help you move your site over to their service for free!).

Who do you use for hosting? Have you had any problems with a host before? Were they helpful? Tell us about your hosting experiences … the good, the bad, and the ugly! *SmiLes* Suzanne

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My main goal with this blog is to truly help others learn and expand their knowledge of how to make money online. I could spend all day everyday blogging about the different programs out there and how to research key words and such … but if you get hung up on how to do basic internet type of things you will find yourself paralyzed.

Ask me how I know this? That’s right … I’ve been there. This past week has been one of those “learning experiences” for me. You know the kind of experience I’m talking about … the kind where you feel like everything is going wrong and this is too hard and you’re going to just give up and go get a real job … in other words I had a big pity party.

Well, after hating (I don’t like that word much – but it seems appropriate right now) my hosting company for the better part of the past year I finally decided to get over my fear of change and move all of my sites to HostGator (and I’m so happy about that decision).

I do however keep all of my domain names with Go Daddy because their customer interface is easy to use and they have very good customer service. They also consistently have the best deals on domain name registration fees. Because my email address is part of my domain name I’ve also always used them for my email service too. That is not necessary … just something I’ve always done.

I am very cautious about change so when I started my “move” I only moved one site as a trial run … this blog. My main email address is attached to this suzannefranco.com domain and I knew enough to go in and change my domain name servers to point to HostGator … and I did so.

As soon as I pointed my name servers I noticed that I wasn’t getting any email from this domain name. I thought I might have to wait for the name server change to propagate which can take 24-72 hours … so I waited. Well, once the change went through still no email. I called Go Daddy and they told me that I would have to contact Host Gator and provide them with Go Daddy’s MX Records. Provide what? Are you kidding me? How long will that take? Another 24-48 hours?! OMG! I even tried logging in to my webmail and no dice.

After contacting Host Gator and providing them with the MX Records I again waited 48 hours … no email and no access. Yikes! It turned out that everything had been done properly but sometimes these “things” just don’t go through the switch properly and need to be pushed through. Well, that did the trick and I have my email back up and running.

You know I love to hear from you in the comments so let me know if you’ve had a similar thing happen or you have questions or ideas that would help me or other readers please post them here for us. *SmiLes* Suzanne 

Get the Very BEST Hosting Money Can Buy Today! HostGator – They Changed My Life … I mean it!

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When it comes time to purchase a domain name for your new website there are a couple of things you should know.

When I got started with my first website … well my first few actually … there were some things I didn’t understand that really confused me about domain names. I’m guessing there are others out there who are just as confused as I was so I thought I’d quickly explain what I’ve learned.

What is a domain name? A domain name is a Web address, such as godaddy.com, that is linked to an IP address (which represents a physical point on the Internet). When someone types a domain name into a Web browser, the requested Web page displays.A domain name consists of a top-level and a second-level domain. A top-level domain (TLD) is the part of the domain name located to the right of the dot (godaddy.com). The most common top-level domains are .COM, .NET, and .ORG. Some other popular top-level domains are .BIZ, .INFO, .NAME and .WS. These TLDs have certain guidelines but are, for the most part, available to any registrant, anywhere in the world.The part of the domain name located to the left of the dot — “godaddy,” in this case — is called the second-level domain (SLD) name. The second-level domain name is the “readable” part of the address and refers to the organization or entity behind the Internet address. Second-level domain names must be registered with an Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)-accredited registrar.

Copyright © 1999 – 2007 GoDaddy.com, Inc. All rights reserved.

Your domain name is actually separate from your website hosting. They are independent of each other. You can purchase your domain from your hosting company or from another company.

Because you want your website files to show up when someone types in your domain name you will need to make sure that your domain name is “pointed” to the hosting company where your files are hosted.

For instance, I’ve always purchased my domain names from Go Daddy but I don’t necessarily use them as my only webhost. I like to purchase my domain names from Go Daddy because they are fairly inexpensive and their customer interface is very easy to use. If you run into something you don’t understand they also have awesome customer service.
 
Once you purchase your domain name you will need to go in and set up where you want that domain name pointed. The change you need to make is called the domain name server and it will be in the account where you purchased your domain name.
 
Log into your account and find the listing of your domain name/s. Click on the domain name you want to point and it should pull up a page where you can see the domain name server addresses. Before you can make this change you will need to get the name server addresses (there are two) from your hosting company. Once you have these you can fill them in and be sure to hit “save.” It will take between 24-72 hours for this change to take place.

I hope this was helpful. I love hearing from you so please post your comments below whether you have questions or you have something helpful to add to this post. *SmiLes* Suzanne

Get a Great Deal On a Domain Name Through GoDaddy
Discount Code OYH7 (Domain Names for only $7.49)

If You’re Transferring Your Domains to GoDaddy (highly recommended) ~ You Won’t be Able to Use the Coupon But Will Get a Discounted Rate!

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