Blogging Tips & Tutorials

Moving from Blogger to WordPress Without Losing Page Rank or Followers

Moving from Blogger to WordPress can be overwhelming, especially if you’re worried that it’ll affect your daily traffic, Google page rank, and your number of followers. Try not to worry – all of this will be covered in this post. This blogging tutorial goes into the nitty-gritty of Blogger to WordPress migration. I covered the basics of Blogger to WordPress Migration in my last post – Blogger to WordPress Migration: the Step by Step Guide.

If you’re reading this blogging tutorial, you should have already imported your Blogger posts and comments into your new self-hosted WordPress blog. You’re almost done with your WordPress migration. All you need to do is tweak a few things, redirect your old blogspot URL to your new one, play with your WordPress design, and get everything in working order.

You can do the following steps in any order that applies to you. I’ve organized them in the order that I did them during my Blogger to WordPress migration. (Again, I am using Gracie Lu Shih Tzu’s blog as my example. She’s my fur baby.)

Blogger to WordPress Migration: A Step-By-Step Guide

by DP Nguyen 49 Comments

Are you ready to migrate from Blogger to WordPress? If you’re a newbie blogger, the idea of switching blog platforms may scare you. It’s downright intimidating, and you will probably make mistakes along the way. To help you avoid major “oops,” make sure that you read this blog post very carefully, and follow every one of the steps.

Making the move from Blogger to a self-hosted WordPress blog can become an unnecessary headache, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing. Switching from Blogger to WordPress isn’t that hard, but it’s the technical glitches that can really consume your time and energy. (I migrated this blog to WordPress in November of 2010, and due to technical difficulties, I didn’t finish transferring over until January. I hope to help you learn from my many, many mistakes.)

In this WordPress migration tutorial, I have included screenshots to help you out. I have tried to explain everything as simply as I can. [Read more…] about Blogger to WordPress Migration: A Step-By-Step Guide

Blogger vs. WordPress: What’s the Best Blogging Platform?

by DP Nguyen 13 Comments

This is the first in a series of blog posts devoted to Moving from Blogger to WordPress

Whether you’re a new blogger or you’ve been around for a while, at some point you’re going to ask yourself, “Blogger vs. WordPress – What’s the Right Blogging Platform for Me?” and “Should I Switch to WordPress?” and “What’s the Best Blogging Platform?”

These are hard questions, and there is no right or wrong answer. The choice of blogging platforms is your decision, but I want to discuss my personal blogging journey, and then discuss the pros and cons of Blogger vs. WordPress.

(I’ll be focusing this blog post on WordPress.org – which is self hosted. For a comparison between the two WordPress platforms, please read: Free WordPress.com vs. Self-Hosted WordPress.org).

My New Domain Name – Help Me Spread the Word

by DP Nguyen 11 Comments

Dear Readers,

You may have noticed that my domain name has changed. www.PregnancyBaby411.com now redirects to www.MyPregnancyBaby.com (my new URL).

*** Please spread the word about my new domain name. Please link to it in your own posts, or add it to your blog roll. I need all the help that I can get. ***

I am in critical need of any help that I can get from Mom and Daddy Bloggers Out There.

I have been going through a bad spell in my personal life. You may have noticed that I don’t post daily – like I used to. Sometimes, life throws you curveballs, and it’s been throwing a lot my way recently. I’m attempting to hit them, but more and more just come my way. [Read more…] about My New Domain Name – Help Me Spread the Word

Top 7 Blogging Tips for the Newbie Mom Blogger

by DP Nguyen 63 Comments

First and foremost, I want to thank all of my followers – on Google Friend Connect (GFC), Twitter, and Facebook. A special shout out to my GFC followers for your loyal support and helping me get to over 1,000!

As I write this, I am looking at the beautiful faces of my 1,009 Google Friend Connect followers. I know that not every one reads this blog every day, but I am thankful for the returning visits from followers and RSS subscribers who do take the time to visit me on a daily basis.

A majority of my followers are mom bloggers. Only about 34 percent of my traffic is from Google and other search engines. I rely on the continued support of my followers to have the courage and energy to blog every day. So thank you everyone!

Several weeks ago, a reader commented and asked if I would share blogging tips on how I’ve made my blog so successful. Let me preface by saying that I am not that successful. Not monetary-wise. But I want to share my personal blogging tips to help other newbie mom bloggers out there.

Here are my Top 7 Blogging Tips for the Newbie Mom Blogger:

Be Passionate about Your Subject

Blogging is a fun and exciting experience . . . if you are passionate about the topic you’re writing. If you aren’t interested in your blogging niche, it’s going to show through in your writing. (And you will be unhappy as a blogger, too.)

Alert: Linky Tools (aka MckLinky) is now Paid! – Other Free Linky Alternatives

by DP Nguyen 176 Comments

Many mom bloggers use Linky Tools, aka MckLinky, for our blog directories and blog hops. (I currently use it for my Mom Blog Directory.) Up until now, the Linky Tools service has been free. This is NO LONGER the case. Linky Tools is now a paid subscription.

I just checked my inbox, and I was shocked to find an email from the Linky Tools owner and creator, Brent Riggs, stating that my account will be deactivated on February 7th (Monday) if I do not sign up for a Paid Subscription.

The Linky Tools service has more than 16,000 users, and Mr. Riggs claims that he can no longer pay for all the expenses out of his own pocket. Ads and donations are not working, so he must go to a subscription service. He is asking for current users to pay a yearly fee of $24 (which is roughly $2/month). Unfortunately, we have to pay this yearly fee up front.

While $24 a year does not sound that expensive, and it’s affordable to some . . . but I am currently not making that much off my blog. (I just started in October). So this is an expense that I must devote in other areas of my blogging life.

Plus, the internet is FULL of free services, so I am in search of Linky Tool alternatives that are free.