WordPress Image Hosting on Your Site – What You Need to Know
I’m sure you’ve heard of WordPress.com. If not, you might want to consider checking it out. What is it? Well, it’s a fantastic blogging platform. People love it because of its simplicity and versatility. You can use it to create a simple blog or you can use it to create a huge e-commerce store. Pretty much anything is possible with WordPress.com.
If you’ve been following the WordPress news lately, you might have heard that the platform is looking for ways to make money. One of the ways they are doing this is by offering affiliate marketing opportunities to their users. What is affiliate marketing? Simply put, if you are an affiliate marketing strategist, you get paid when someone clicks a monetized link or buys a product that is promoted on your blog. For example, you might get a $5 bonus when someone clicks a Walmart link or buys a pack of toilet paper from a retail store that happens to be using your affiliate link.
If you’re interested in pursuing affiliate marketing with WordPress.com, read on. We’ll discuss everything you need to know about getting started.
Setting Up Your Blog With WordPress.com
Creating a new WordPress blog is easy. You can do this through their incredible dashboard, which is a one-stop shop for all your blog needs. You’ll need to register for an account with WordPress.com if you haven’t already done so. Once you’ve registered, you’ll be able to log in and create your new blog. From there, you can choose a theme for your site and begin blogging.
If you want to learn more, there are a lot of great tutorials online. Alternatively, you can read our comprehensive guide to creating a blog with WordPress.com.
Choosing an Image Host For Your Blog
When it comes to web hosts, there are a few standouts that really shine. One of the best in terms of photo hosting is Flickr.com. In this case, you can use their awesome service to easily and efficiently upload photos to your WordPress blog. The best part is that they provide free photo storage for those who sign up for a premium account. However, if you decide that you don’t want to use their service for whatever reason, there are other excellent hosts such as SmugMug.com and UnbrandedMedia.com that you can choose from.
If you’re interested in pursuing photo blogging with a WordPress blog, then Flickr is definitely a place to start. Not only do they have a fantastic service, but they also provide you with all the necessary tools to make the most of it. Don’t forget: you can always sign up for a free account to see how amazing they are.
The Anatomy Of A Perfect Blog Post
If you’re completely new to blogging, it’s a good idea to start small. Begin by making short blog posts on interesting topics. In the beginning, you’ll only have a few readers, so it’s not crucial that each post be overly polished. As you get more experience, you can begin to think about how you can make each post better than the last one. When it comes to writing a blog post, there are several elements you need to consider:
- A compelling title
- An informative, well-written body
- At least two important points in the post
- A convenient image
- And most importantly, you must engage your readers
Let’s discuss each element in detail.
The Title
The title of your blog post is probably the most important element, if not the whole post. It needs to be compelling enough to make the reader click on your article, but not so vague that it doesn’t give any real insight into the content. In general, a simple rule of thumb is to keep it between two and six words long and to use a verb (such as “learn”, “find”, or “create”) in the title.
For example, if you are writing about photography, you might want to use the title “The Ultimate Photography Blog Tips” or “8 Simple Tricks to Help You Become a Better Photographer”.
The Body
The body of your blog post is where you’ll go into much greater detail about your topic. It needs to be a well-written, interesting piece that you’ve researched thoroughly. Avoid using this space to simply regurgitate what you learned in school or from online articles. Instead, this is the place where you can truly show off your education and research skills. Use this space to write down all the major points you’ll be making in your post. This will help your readers follow your logic as you present it.
You’ll also want to include any supporting evidence or examples that you have researched and/or are using to back up your claims. For instance, if you are writing about nutrition and how to eat healthier, you might want to include some of the healthy food recipes you’ve made or some of the research you’ve done on the subject. Include both sides of the story: the pros and the cons. In a nutshell, make sure that your body contains everything a reader needs to understand and appreciate your arguments.
Two Important Points
The two important points below your main headline should flesh out, in great detail, the two sides of your argument or position. Remember: your reader doesn’t know you yet, so you need to stick to specifics. Your two main points should be easy enough for even a complete novice to understand. Remember, you’re aiming for the basics here. Even experienced bloggers can sometimes get a little verbose in their arguments. You can always use a tool to help you write a balanced and well-crafted essay.
Writing an effective two-part argument or thesis is no easy task. It takes a lot of practice and a lot of self-reflection. Don’t be afraid to write a draft or two, then take some time to come back to it and polish it. As you get more experienced, you’ll be able to write more complex and longer arguments with greater ease. For now, make sure that your two points below are easy enough for your average reader to understand.
A Convenient Image
Conveniently, a blog post doesn’t need to have an image attached to it. However, if you’re choosing to use an image, make sure that it’s one that’s relevant to your topic. If you have a specific picture you’d like to use, consider having an explainer video produced and attach it to your article for greater impact.
An image can also serve as your blog post’s main point if you’d like. Sometimes, particularly in the case of opinion or rebuttal posts, a picture can speak louder than words. With an image, you don’t have to worry about your readers getting bored or annoyed by a long, wordy blog post. They can just as easily be distracted by a good, old-fashioned picture.
The Engagement
Last but not least, we have engagement. As we’ve established above, a blog post doesn’t necessarily need a picture to be effective. However, using an image will greatly enhance your blog’s ability to engage with your readers. Remember: your blog post is there to serve a purpose. Sometimes, this might be simply to entertain your readers or to teach them something new. Other times, you might want to use your blog to argue for a certain position or cause. In all these cases, the more you can do to engage your readers, the greater your chances of convincing them to follow your arguments.
If you’d like, you can include links to other relevant articles or websites in your article. Doing this can help establish your expertise on a certain subject while also providing your readers with useful information. In general, a well-written, informative blog post can do wonders for your SEO (search engine optimization), which ultimately translates to having more people discover your blog.
Creating an informative, well-written blog post can be a lot of work. It doesn’t have to be, though. As we’ve discussed above, there are several elements you might want to pay attention to in order to ensure that your post is both interesting and effective. With a little bit of effort, any writer can put together an informative and well-written blog post. The next step? Promoting your blog!