It’s been a while, but I’m bringing back my always popular, nearly FAMOUS, zip-zilch-ZERO COST WordPress training call!

So…read on if you’re ready to end your website angst once and for all.

You know you need a website if you are going to succeed at marketing online. You may even have one already…but you’re just tired of the time, cost and aggravation associated with it.

Or, maybe you don’t even have a website or blog yet, and as every day goes by without one, you know you are wasting valuable time you could be using to market yourself and your business.

That’s why I’ve brought back this UPDATED for 2012 special HIGH-CONTENT training call…

…to share with you some of my top tips, strategies and information on how the WordPress web platform can save you time, money and frustration…so you can concentrate on what you do best–-running your business!

You’ll want to join me on this complimentary webcast where I reveal exactly how you can have this simple, zero-cost platform working for you–in no time.

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“Wild About WordPress: 7 Reasons Why it’s Now Super Simple to Create Your Own Customer and Client-Attracting Website–FAST, Without HEADACHES, and for FREE!”
with Christine Gallagher
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 8pm Eastern
Learn more and book your spot now
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I created a quick video for you about it too, just click on the image below to watch it!

I’m not going to be just sharing fluff or theory–-I’ve been using WordPress myself for over four years, have created countless sites using it and have taught many others who now have their own business sites and blogs working for them online as well.

On this special no-cost call, I will be digging out my best tips for YOU–-the small business owner or solopreneur-–on how to get maximum results in the least amount of time using this powerful tool.

During this call, I will be sharing:

* Why you don’t have to be a techie (really!) to get your site up and running in less than a day

* The one very important thing you want to be sure to look for when choosing a webhost for your WordPress site

* Why WordPress isn’t just for blogs–-and how you can easily set it up as a full-blown, simple-to-use website

* What WordPress has-–right out-of-the-box-–that means you won’t have to hire an expensive SEO firm to get your site to rank in the search engines

* Why customizing your site is a lot easier (and more fun!) than you probably think

* Why answers to (even your toughest) WordPress questions are always just a click away

* Exciting new details about the upcoming UPDATED FOR 2012 course “Website Without Worry: Step-by-Step Strategies to Using WordPress, the Number One FREE Web Platform to Gain Clients and Customers FAST”

Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or just getting your business up and running, you won’t want to miss this enlightening call.

Just go here to reserve your spot now and join us!

This is a guest post by Jesse Langley.

Whether you write for a company website, contribute to a blog or run a blog of your own, you should strive to make every word on your pages valuable to your readers. That’s easier said than done: posting relevant, interesting and engaging content with every new post can be difficult, especially if your website or blog primarily covers one topic or theme. But even if you have a decent-sized audience, you can always find strategies to improve your content and reach a wider audience.

The Internet is a crazy place, and trends rise and fall with lightning speed. Staying current should be a top priority, but it’s also important to make your readers a part of your writing, to write clearly and well-defined posts, and to think beyond your own point of view. These are just few ways to make your web content buzz.

Make your blog posts active

Engaging your readers takes more than just interesting content—it requires you to interact with your readers. Write posts that suggest a call to action: asking direct questions for readers to answer in the comments section, posting polls, and writing posts based on reader feedback are all good ways to encourage communication and collaboration.

Posting your social media contact information can also encourage your readers to network with your readers beyond your website. The goal is to make visitors to your website welcome, and to make them feel like the content on the page is especially for them—adding personal touches and communicating with your readers can help build a sense of community.

Learn how to write

“Of course I know how to write,” you say. But knowing the basics of writing and knowing how to write for your particular audience are two very different things. Writing for the Internet is different than writing for traditional outlets—and the more digital our world becomes, the more traditional writing is changing as well. Read some of your favorite blogs, and consider online training to learn how to write for the web. If your writing skills are a little rusty, you can also take classes at your local university. Being confident in your ability to write is vital—but having technical knowledge of writing will bolster that confidence as well.

Embrace controversy

This isn’t a suggestion to write content that might offend or confuse readers, but being willing to discuss opposing opinions or to invite guest writers who might offer a different point of view can be valuable. That also requires you to read websites and other resources that might not match your or your company’s philosophies. But keeping an open mind does more than give insight into other points of view: it can also be a tool of lifelong learning for you and your audience. A large audience is a diverse audience—so write for all of your readers.

The goal with your website or blog should be to teach—and learn from—your readers. Sharing experiences and knowledge is at the root of most blogs and websites, and it’s one of the best ways to keep your readers engaged, active and informed. The more collaborative your website is, the more successful it will be.

Jesse Langley is a writer and editor living outside of Chicago. In addition to writing for various clients, he’s also an online learning advocate. Jesse is writing on behalf of Colorado Technical University.

Photo credit: socialmediaexplorer

In case you hadn’t heard yet, the week before last I held a complimentary webcast called “Wild About WordPress: 7 Reasons Why it’s Now Super Simple to Create Your Own Customer & Client-Attracting Website—FAST, Without HEADACHES, & for FREE!” (If you missed it, you can request the link to the audio and handout here.)

Since many of you have asked how to know for sure whether it’s time to make the switch to WordPress (or, if you’re already using it, whether it’s time to learn how to MAXIMIZE it a lot more than you have), I’ve been posting a few mini-lessons here on the blog so that you can decide for yourself.

I’m ready to share Lesson #3, but first, I have a **TIME SENSITIVE note**: TOMORROW, TUESDAY is the LAST DAY you can SAVE $50 on my 5-part webinar training course on WordPress. Ready to sign up and claim your spot? Just go here now.

Ok…now we’re ready for our final Lesson #3.

Signs your website is NOT marketing for you:

• Your words fall flat–your copy does nothing to captivate your readers and entice them to want to work with you
• You have no “freebie” offering enticing visitors to join your list (or worse, you’re not building a list at all)
• You have no links to social media profiles where readers could go and strengthen the relationship with you even further
• Your home page gives people too many options–there are so many actions to take…that they end up taking none at all

If you saw yourself in any of the points above, it’s very likely that you’re losing out on potential clients and customers when it comes to your current website.

And in just ONE day, I can turn that all around for you…

In my upcoming webinar training course on WordPress, I will walk you through, step-by-step, ALL of my best strategies, tips and how-to, so you can create your own professional-looking, easy to use website that attracts lots of new clients and customers to your business!

It’s called “Website Without Worry: Step-by-Step Strategies to Using WordPress–The Number One FREE Web Platform to Gain Clients and Customers FAST!” and it starts Tuesday, May 3. That’s only ONE day away, so grab your spot now.

Just remember to register by midnight (ET) May 3 to SAVE $50. (We are also offering a 2-pay option if it makes it easier for you!) Grab your Early Bird spot in this LIVE training course with me now.

Oh! Exciting news! We’ve added a bonus CLASS #5 to the course! Adam Haroun, web designer and branding strategist extraordinaire, will be teaching a bonus webinar for the participants ALL about website design and branding as it relates to online presence! (He did the branding and design of the website you are on right now!) Don’t miss out!

As I mentioned in my last post, last week I held a complimentary called on WordPress where I shared how fantastic a choice *WORDPRESS* is if you’re looking for a low-maintenance, low-cost website for your business that magnetically *PULLS* clients and customers to you. (No worries if you missed it, here’s the link to the audio and handout.)

Many of you may be wondering how to know for sure whether it’s time to make the switch to WordPress (or, if you’re already using it, whether it’s time to learn how to MAXIMIZE it a lot more than you have.) So, yesterday I posted Lesson #1: Signs you’re paying too much for your current website, and I want to share Lesson #2 with you today.

Lesson #2: Signs your Website is Actually REPELLING Prospects:

• Lack of clear purpose–you’re making them “think too hard” in order to figure out what your site’s about
• You’re not providing fresh, updated content to give them a reason to keep coming back
• Your site is hard to navigate and cluttered (a confused mind always says “No!”)
• You’re not giving them any opportunity to “opt in” in order to get a risk-free introduction to you and your offerings

If you saw yourself in any of the points above, it’s very likely that you’re losing out on potential clients and customers when it comes to your current website. Well, in just ONE WEEK, I can turn that all around for you…

In my upcoming webinar training course on WordPress, I will walk you through, step-by-step, ALL of my best strategies, tips and how-to, so you can create your own professional-looking, easy to use website that attracts lots of new clients and customers to your business!

We start NEXT Tuesday, May 3, so go here to get all the details.

**TIME-SENSITIVE NOTE** If you register by NEXT *TUESDAY, MAY 3 at MIDNIGHT (ET)*, you’ll save $50 on your registration!

I hope you can join us, and stay tuned for Lesson #3!

Did you miss my complimentary “Wild About WordPress” call last week? (In case you missed it, you can request the link to the audio and handout here.)

By the way, I even conducted an impromptu, live Q&A session at the end of the call with some of the listeners! Lots of extra gems in there as well.

I hope the call showed you how fantastic a choice *WORDPRESS* is if you’re looking for a low-maintenance, low-cost website for your business that magnetically *PULLS* clients and customers to you.

However, many of you are asking me how to know for sure whether it’s time to make the switch to WordPress (or, if you’re already using it, whether it’s time to learn how to MAXIMIZE it a lot more than you have.) So, over the next few days, I’m going to share with you a few mini-lessons, so you can make the decision for yourself.

Let’s get going with Lesson #1!

Signs You’re Paying TOO MUCH for Your Current Website:

• You’re paying someone every time you need to have small changes and tweaks done to your site–and it’s adding up
• You’re blindly accepting the hosting, add-ons and packages your webmaster or webhost is saying you NEED (it’s ok– it’s because you just don’t know any better!)
• You’re paying (or have paid in the past) someone handsomely to “improve your search engine optimization” — but you’re not seeing results in the form of increased traffic, opt-ins or sales
• You paid someone to design your site and it looks very pretty–but it is doing NOTHING for you when it comes to marketing your services or products (a site that’s nice to look at doesn’t pay the bills!)

If you saw yourself in any of the points above, it’s very likely you’re just flushing money down the drain when it comes to your current website. Well, in just ONE WEEK, I can turn that all around for you…

In my upcoming 5-part webinar training course on WordPress, I will walk you through, step-by-step, ALL of my best strategies, tips and how-to, so you can create your own professional-looking, easy to use website that attracts lots of new clients and customers to your business!

It’s called “Website Without Worry: Step-by-Step Strategies to Using WordPress–The Number One FREE Web Platform to Gain Clients and Customers FAST!” and it starts NEXT Tuesday, May 3. This is such an in-depth training program that I don’t have room to share ALL the details here, but go to this web page to get the full scoop.

**TIME-SENSITIVE NOTE** If you register by NEXT *TUESDAY, MAY 3 at MIDNIGHT (ET)*, you’ll save $50 on your registration! That’s only a few days away, so act FAST!

Hope to have you “in class!”

Over my last few years of coaching and training entrepreneurs, I’ve seen countless people fed up and frustrated with their websites (or lack thereof!)

They may have one and it’s just become one big headache, or they might not have one at all and they’re completely lost as to where to start.

Did you know that the majority of business owners are:

1) Paying too much for their site?
2) Grossly underutilizing their website to collect leads and make sales?
3) Relying on someone else to make updates, changes and tweaks unnecessarily?

If you’re doing business with an outdated, inflexible, or unattractive site (or worse, without one at all), you’re leaving money on the table–period.

Can I help TURN that all around for you?

If you’re finally ready for a low-maintenance, low-cost website for your business that magnetically *PULLS* clients and customers to you, I’ll show you exactly how to have one–at an amazingly low investment.

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“Website Without Worry: Step-by-Step Strategies to Using WordPress–The Number One FREE Web Platform to Gain Clients and Customers FAST!”
A 4-part webinar training course with Christine Gallagher
Beginning Tuesday, May 3, 2011
***Save $50 through that date!***

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Learn more and reserve your spot now here.

In my upcoming 4-part webinar training course on WordPress, I will walk you through, step-by-step, ALL of my best strategies, tips and how-to, so you can create your own professional-looking, easy to use website that ATTRACTS lots of new clients and customers to your business!

Let’s be honest…you know you need to have a website. And learning how to make it work FOR you is the MOST effective, LEAST expensive way to get more leads and make more sales. So this affordable course is truly a no-brainer.

Go here now to learn all about the course and your $50 savings.

Just remember you only have a few days to get that great deal. I can’t wait to lead you by the hand and teach you to use WordPress to save time, money and hours of website frustration in your business!

You gotta have a website these days if you’re in business, right?

The truth is, hanging out on sites like Facebook and Twitter are just NOT enough.  You really need to have a place to send your friends, fans and followers OUTSIDE of those social media sites if you want the best marketing results.

If thinking about your current website or blog stresses you out (or you don’t even have one at all yet), then you do not want to miss my next upcoming FREE webcast THIS Thursday 4/21 at 8 pm EDT:

“Wild About WordPress: 7 Reasons Why it’s Now Super Simple to Create Your Own Customer and Client-Attracting Website—FAST, Without HEADACHES, and for FREE!”

On this FREE webcast, I’ll be sharing my tips on the number one website and blog platform in the world–WordPress.  Oh, and I‘m not going to be sharing fluff or theory–I’ve been using WordPress myself for over 4 years, I’ve created countless sites using it and have taught many others who now have their own business sites and blogs working for them online as well.

In other words, YOU–the small business owner or solopreneur–can learn a lot from the important, updated information I’ll be sharing on how to get maximum results in the least amount of time using this powerful tool.

On this webcast you’ll learn:

• Why you don’t have to be a techie (really!) to get your site up and running in less than a day

• The one very important thing you want to be sure to look for when choosing a webhost for your WordPress site

• Why WordPress isn’t just for blogs–and how you can easily set it up as a full-blown, simple-to-use website

• What WordPress has–right out-of-the-box–that means you won’t have to hire an expensive SEO firm to get your site to rank in the search engines

• Why customizing your site is a lot easier (and more fun!) than you probably think

• Why answers to (even your toughest) WordPress questions are always just a click away

• Exciting new details about my upcoming LIVE course “Website Without Worry: Step-by-Step Strategies to Using WordPress, the Number One FREE Web Platform to Gain Clients and Customers FAST!”

You’ll want to sign up NOW before you forget.  Here’s the link: FREE Webcast on WordPress!

Hope to “see” you there!

I’m pretty sure that you’re probably already aware of all the great reasons to start your own blog. However…I also know that despite knowing this, you still may be resistant to the idea. Maybe you believe it takes too much time and effort, you don’t think you are a great writer, you don’t know what to write about, you don’t know how to start one…

I understand all of the reasons that may be holding you back—so I want to address some of that resistance right now.

The Time and Effort Issue

There are a lot of ways to leverage your time and still generate quality content for your blog.  (Hint: you don’t have to always come up with original content yourself!) It can seem daunting at first, but I encourage all small business owners who are doing business online to at least give it a try. Just begin and get it going. Aim to post once a week. They don’t have to be long posts and they don’t have to be earth-shatteringly brilliant. But if you’re serious about using a blog to increase your visibility and build credibility, then blogging should be something you carve out time for just as you would any other marketing activity.

The “I Don’t Think I Can Write Very Well” Issue

As with anything, you’ll get better at writing the more you do it.   Even if you aren’t going to be winning any literary prizes anytime soon, so what?  If you’re knowledgeable about your topic (which you ARE) and if you’re passionate about what you are trying to convey (which you will be!) then these things will come through loud and clear in your writing.  You have a message to bring to people that can only be told by you—no one else. Put aside your anxiety about the competition or your abilities and just focus on getting started!  It will get easier, I promise.

The “Ack!! I Don’t Know What to Write About!!” Issue

Jot down any ideas that come to you for posts as you go about your day. I keep a file of topic ideas that I think of and I find this helpful to look at if I get stuck for what to write about. Other places to get ideas?  Try the newsletters you’re subscribed to, the questions you’re frequently asked by clients or even the table of contents of books you have on your shelf or ones you browse through in the bookstore. Remember, you can also mix things up a bit by doing other types of posts, such as audio or video, or even having others guest post for you.

Finally, if you are letting the fact that you don’t know where to start hold you back, I’m going to banish that excuse for you once and for all right now.  My signature system, The 6 Simple Steps to Kick Start Your Social Media Success walks you through exactly how to start and grow your own blog, down to the smallest details—even if you feel you don’t have a techie bone in your body!  You’ll be blogging in no time—and it won’t hurt a bit, I promise.

Your turn:  do you have a blog?  If so, share it with us in the comments.  If not, let us know if any of the reasons above are what’s been holding you back!

Photo credit: searchenginepeople.com

I’ve been doing business online for a few years now, and for the past 3 years I’ve been using WordPress sites exclusively.  I’ve actually lost count of how many sites I’ve created using it for myself.  But besides myself, I’ve created sites for different clients and I’ve also taught many of my students how to create their own sites and blogs for their businesses who now have them up and running online as well.

Why am I such a raving fan?  Here are just a few of my top reasons:

1) It’s Free

Many small business owners are just in need a basic, professional looking site that doesn’t cost and arm and a leg.  I’m definitely not against hiring others if you need any type of consulting service when it comes to your site—but the actual WordPress software is free and you can even customize the look of it for free with themes. The bare minimum of what you will be paying for is the domain name and the hosting for your site.

2) Can be Installed Easily (Usually with “1 Click”)

You want to try go with a host that offers something called “1 click install” because this is the simplest and easiest way to get your site up and running. Yes, WordPress is easy to use and you don’t need to hire someone to install it for you. However—since you have to go with a webhost anyway, the best thing to do is to choose one that offers this 1-click install. Installing WordPress is probably the most “tech-y” part of using it, and if you know that you’re just not the tech-y type, it’s a good idea to have your webhost handle it or walk you through it.

3) Easy to Use and Update

With a traditional website, in most cases you are at the mercy of a webmaster—waiting for them to make the updates you want, waiting for them to add new pages or content, etc…all the while paying them really well.  Most of us are aren’t coders and are too busy running our businesses to worry about administering our site. One of the best things about WordPress is how simple and quick it is for you or someone on your team to update your site or publish a new post or page really at the push of a button. No super-tech-y knowledge is necessary.

4) Easy to Customize with Themes

A theme with regard to WordPress is a way to alter and customize the design, look and presentation of your WordPress site.  You can also think of it as a template. You can go with a free theme or pay for a premium one.  There are countless free themes available and you are likely to find one that fits the vision you have of the way your site should look. Actually, if you Google the phrase “free WordPress themes” you get over 47 million results.  WordPress has their own free theme directory on their website and it’s a great place to start.

5) Add Lots of Functionality with Plugins

Plugins are one of the reasons WordPress is so popular.  Most plugins are free and add functionality to your site and allow it to do almost anything you can imagine.  WordPress itself was built to be very “lean” and simple—and plugins exist so that each user can tailor their site exactly the way that they want. I once heard someone use an analogy to describe them that I really liked.  They said that a WordPress site is like a base model of a car.  And you can think of plugins as features or upgrades you can add to that car—like a sunroof, leather seats, a better stereo, and things like that.  Plugins are like little upgrades for your WordPress site, but as I mentioned, the great thing is most of them are free.

Bottom line, if you are in business for yourself or you want to go into business for yourself, you need a web presence, plain and simple. We all know that when people are looking for services or products, referrals, speakers for events, etcetera, they are not going to the Yellow Pages. They are going online to look.

Plus, it’s worth mentioning that just a few years ago, having a “web presence” meant sinking time, money and effort into a website.  Getting someone to build you a website was NOT (and still isn’t) cheap.  WordPress has changed all that, and it’s just one of many great reasons why you’ll want to take a closer look.

Photo credit: Leaferne

If you have a blog and you are anything like me, you sometimes get stumped for what to write about. Maybe you just aren’t feeling particularly inspired or maybe you are just having one of those weeks where you’re too crazy busy to really sit down and write.

You should know that there are lots of other ways to come up with content for your blog without having to either 1) be completely original or 2) have your post be in the form of the written word. Let’s look at five ways to generate content when you start feeling stuck:

1) Guest posts

I’ve both guest posted on others’ blogs as well as had people guest post on mine. Don’t be afraid to approach bloggers in a niche that’s complimentary to yours to ask if they would like to write a post for your blog. You will want to offer to return the favor for them in most cases, but it’s a nice way to change things up for your own readers by showcasing someone else’s writing style.

2) Other people’s articles

There are a lot of great article sites out there with tons of excellent content. Most of them allow you to use the articles on your own site—as long as you include the resource box at the end of them which includes the author’s information and website link. You can search by category to find articles suitable for the focus of your blog. Some examples of good article sites include ezinearticles.com, goarticles.com and ideamarketers.com

3) Create a video post

Video is huge online and only growing bigger. Simple video cameras like The Flip are inexpensive and super easy to use. Instead of writing a post, create a video with a helpful tip or interesting fact. It can be as short as a minute and you don’t need to worry about being perfect and rehearsed. People love to see you being yourself!

4) Create an audio post

Not ready to be on camera? There’s nothing wrong with sticking to audio. Some ideas would be to read a top 10 list of tips, interview someone in your field or take content you may have written elsewhere and turn it into audio. These days it’s simple to do: you can use a service like Audio Acrobat to record yourself over the phone or use Skype and a free recording service like Call Graph.

5) Provide a review or commentary of others’ content

This is one of my favorite methods for coming up with blog post content. I simply take a look at my favorite blogs whose feeds I have pulled into Google Reader and see what catches my eye. I then write a post about it adding my thoughts and linking back to the original post. You could give your opinion on whether you agree or not with the blogger’s point of view, add information you think they should have included or answer questions that they may have asked.

If you don’t find anything on other blogs, StumbleUpon.com is another source of content ideas. This site allows users to discover and submit websites, photos and videos from around the web. I often check here if I find myself in need of some inspiration.

So, next time you find yourself at a loss for what to write about, consider some of these ideas to keep your blog filled with helpful content. Just remember, you don’t always have to come up with material on your own—which should come as some relief!

How about you?  Do you have other ideas that you use for content when you get stuck?  I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

Photo credit: Maui Info Solutions