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A domain is essential if you want anyone to be able to access your website. It's that simple.

Continue reading if you don't wish to pay for domain names.

Your domain name is the address of your website on the Internet. As you can see in my browser, I use neilpatel.com.

You want something unique. You want something that is yours.

This post will show you how to get a domain that matches your business and establishes your brand. How to get it free.

This is as easy as it can be. If you don't know what this is, don't worry. Follow these steps to get a domain name for free in no time.

Your 2-Minute Cheat Sheet

Do you need a quick answer to how to get your domain name for free? Let me cut to the chase.

A web hosting company is necessary if you plan to launch a blog or website. Hostinger is my choice when it comes to choosing from the many options.

The company offers excellent speed and reliability. It also offers a no-cost domain name for the first year.

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Hostinger makes it easy to get your domain and hosting setup in one go. Hosting is still available for a small fee, but the domain name is yours for nothing.

Click here to create a Hostinger Account and sign up. The entire process is quick and easy thanks to their guided setup.

You'll then have hosting, a domain and a basic site ready to go.

You might also be able to use a subdomain for free if your budget is tight.

Wix and WordPress are great website builders. The only catch is that, instead of having a simple .com site like mine (NeilPatel.com), you'll have something like yourusername.wixsite.com/yoursiteaddress or yourdomainname.wordpress.com.

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This is not ideal. It can be an option if you're looking to test out the free features of our website builder.

Don't worry if a clean domain is not an option. Hostinger makes it easy to get your domain.

Follow these steps to obtain a domain name for free.

1. Visit the Hostinger's website
2. Choose your hosting type
3. Claim Your Free Domain

Hostinger will allow you to do everything in one place. While I'll be able to show you some other options, it is possible that you will need to interact with multiple vendors in order to complete all the steps.

Step 1 – Go to the Hostinger's website

Click here to go to Hostinger.

Click Start Here to be taken directly to the checkout page.

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This checkout page has been set up with my recommendation. Premium shared hosting is the most affordable plan and includes a domain name.

I recommend choosing the longest term to get the best rate. You can lock in a very attractive rate of $2.59 per monthly if you sign up for four years of hosting.

To get the best deal, click on the box to the right.

Check out the add-ons listed below to see if they are of any use to you. Although they aren't essential, daily backups and priority support can be very useful and are reasonably priced.

Once you have completed that, click Submit Secure payment and you will be able to proceed with setup.

Step 2 – Select Your Hosting Type

Hostinger's shared hosting is available at a discounted price. You don't even have to choose the type of hosting you want. All premium shared hosting is ready for you.

You may be able to determine the needs of your website and decide that shared hosting is not enough.

If you don't know what hosting is, continue reading to find out more about the differences and who each type of hosting is best for.

Shared Hosting

If you are starting a new site, I recommend shared hosting.

These plans are not only cheap but can also be used to accommodate low-traffic sites. Your website is shared with many other websites. By sharing server resources with other tenants, you can save money.

It's almost like having your own home but living in an apartment. It's cheaper and requires less maintenance. Your site may experience slowdowns if one of the shared servers starts using too many resources. This is why shared hosting doesn't work well for very large, complex websites.

However, shared hosting can be great for those who don't expect high traffic volumes or lack technical knowledge.

Cloud Hosting

Cloud hosting is a great way to increase your performance without paying the higher prices of other options.

Cloud hosting is the same as shared hosting. However, multiple servers are connected via the cloud so that no one server gets hampered by a resource-hungry, bulky or popular site.

This can lead to higher reliability and uptime as you don't share the resources of one server.

This is a half-step up to shared hosting, but it's not as reliable and powerful as the next option.

VPS Hosting

VPS hosting is virtual private server hosting. This category covers plans that offer better performance at a higher price.

This hosting type offers you exclusive access to useful resources. Technically, this means that you share a server with other websites but have a virtual server that has dedicated resources.

If you anticipate sudden spikes in traffic, this type of hosting is for you.

Dedicated Hosting

You have exclusive access to a server that is only for your website with dedicated hosting. It's not necessary to share it.

You will get premium performance from this subscription plan. However, you must also be willing to pay a premium price.

If you are a large company that handles a lot of traffic, this is an excellent option. This is a great option for people who want total control over their hosting environment.

This guide will recommend that you select the pre-selected premium shared hosting plan. If you would prefer to have other plans, I'll let you know.

Step 3 – Claim Your Free Domain

Once you have completed checkout and paid, you will be taken to your Hostinger control panels, hPanel.

You'll find front-and-center an opportunity to claim your domain.

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To search for your desired domain name, click Claim Dom. Click the purple box to the right of it.

A.com extension is more professional and will make you look more trustworthy to your visitors.

If the.com extension has already been taken and you are 100% set on the name, I wouldn't consider another domain extension.

A.com domain is essential for small businesses. Small blogs, personal websites, side hustles, and other sites may also benefit from a.com extension.

Then, you will need to fill in some basic information. Complete the form and send it. Hostinger will verify your registration details and send you an email with a link to complete verification.

Now you are ready to secure your domain name for free!

One more thing that I recommend.

Enable WHOIS protection. Once you have completed verification, you will be taken to your dashboard section for your domain name. Simply look for the slider button located under Privacy, and click it to make it purple and enable.

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This will hide your email address, phone number, and name from public databases.

And you're done!

Now you have a great hosting plan and a free domain. Hostinger is the best place to start if you haven't already.

There are other ways to get a free domain

To be comprehensive, I will also talk about two other methods to get a domain free of charge. While I do not recommend them, it is always beneficial to have all the options.

• Get a subdomain for free
• Not recommended: Use a domain registrar for free

Below, I will explain each method in more detail.

Method 1 – Get a free subdomain

Many website builders offer subdomains. This is a personal domain that is part of an existing domain.

Remember the movie Inception in which Leonardo DiCaprio dreamed that he was in a dream? This is a similar story.

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You will end up with a domain within a domain.

Squarespace, Wix and Weebly all offer subdomains. You can also get a free trial. If you love their services, you will be able to purchase premium plans which include everything you need to create, launch, and manage professional websites.

You also get a domain name free of charge, in addition to the many perks like web hosting, templates and drag-and-drop website builder.

Yet, I believe this method isn't ideal.

Let's look at this example.

Imagine that you can use Wix, a free website builder. Although you won't need to purchase a domain name, your site will be hosted on the Wix subdomain. It will look like this:

yourusername.wixsite.com/yoursiteaddress

Let's say your Wix username “My Stunning Website 123” and your domain name is myblogsite. Here's what it will look like:

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It's professional. Is this a domain you have seen on any other credible website?

This is why I only recommend this method to those who want to try out new features and updates in your website builder.

WordPress is another option. It isn't as intrusive as Wix. The format for a free WordPress subdomain is: yourdomainname.wordpress.com

While this is an option when money is tight, it is not viable as a long-term strategy. A subdomain is not an option as your domain name will be short and memorable.

Another disadvantage is that visitors may not remember your domain name or find it difficult to remember.

Method 2 – Use a free domain name registrar (not recommended)

A free domain registrar can provide a domain name, but this is not usually recommended. Particularly if your domain name should reflect professionalism and trustworthiness.

The truly free domains are those that use unusual extensions. You'll find.tk rather than.com.

Prospective customers will prefer a domain that is yourbusiness.com to youryourbusiness.tk. It's also easier to remember a domain name that starts with.com than a domain extension that few people have ever seen.

You don't even own the domain name. This defeats the purpose for launching a website or blog.

If you decide to go this route, however, you can also check out Freenom and GetFreeDomain.Name as well as Dot TK.

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Many domain registrars will offer you a free domain in return for your site running ads. Although there is nothing wrong in running ads on your website, it is not the best way.

The ads you see are not yours to control (the type of ads, their length, etc.). You don't have any control over the ads (the type of ads played, their length, etc.) or their placement. Your visitors might not have the best experience when they visit your site. This could also impact your SEO ranking.

Even if you look at the situation from a more positive perspective, it is still not feasible.

Let's say you are able to drive high traffic to your site and that the ads receive one million views. These ads won't earn you a penny. All you get is a domain.

Not a fair trade, right?

If you are seriously considering running ads on your site, I recommend that you do it through an authorized advertising network. It can provide a great source for income. Do not exchange ads for a domain.

Don't Forget To Renew Your Domain

Be sure to check the term for your first domain purchase. This is something I cannot emphasize enough.

It is not easy to set up a blog or website. It takes a lot of work to create a website or blog, find the right URL and design it, and then publish relevant content.

Imagine the horror that you will feel when you wake up to find out that someone has purchased your domain.

Why? The reason?

Tragic.

This mistake has been made many times before and it has cost people a lot.

Jeb Bush and his staff forgot to renew their domain JebBush.com during one presidential election cycle. Donald Trump purchased the domain and used it to redirect Bush's visitors directly to his presidential election website. Bush's team could have easily avoided this disaster.

How can you prevent this?

First, note your initial term. Many registrars offer a one-year registration. However, some allow you to purchase five, 10, 20 or even 100 year registrations at checkout.

You don't need to worry about renewal if your initial term is longer. You also lock in the annual rate for the duration.

A reminder for one month is also important, even if you don’t purchase a multi-year term.

This will allow you to prepare for renewal without having your registration expire.

You can also review your domain registrar's renewal rates with a one-month head-up. Sometimes the renewal rate can jump quite a bit. You have at least a few weeks to look at your options and budget if it is higher than you expected.

Last but not least, if your budget is tight, I recommend setting up auto-renew for your domain.

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Most providers allow you to see in your dashboard the expiry of your domain and the renewal cost. You can also choose to enable auto-renewal. Hostinger makes it easy to do this in their services menu under billing settings.

Auto-renewal is available with all the other providers I reviewed.

It is a good idea to check the renewal rate of your domain before it expires, in order to avoid any unexpected budget surprises if it spikes.

Conclusion

Hostinger is the best option to obtain a domain name for free. You won't lose it even if your web host changes.

Another option is to use subdomains with reliable web builders such as WordPress or Wix.

You can get a reliable web hosting company and a brand new domain in a matter of seconds. Trust me, it's not worth the effort to look unprofessional, run a spammy site, or get hacked.

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By: Neil Patel
Title: How to Get a Free Domain Name
Sourced From: neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-get-a-free-domain/
Published Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2022 19:30:00 +0000

 

Great things can occur when a team works together. Ask Greece.

The 2004 European Cup win by Greece's national soccer team stunned the entire world. The expectations of the team were low going into the tournament. Greece had never won a major tournament game and would have been content with one win.

Many of the Greek players were not well-known outside of their country, unlike other established teams that boast a roster of international stars. The Greeks compensated for this by their collective brilliance and smart tactics. The greatest success was achieved through strong teamwork.

Startup teams are able to overcome difficulties and achieve great results when they work well together. Teams need the right skills and experience to excel. The most important factor in a team is not the individual skills and experience of each member, but the way they work together as one.

Alex Pentland is a professor at MIT and has researched work teamsusing a high tech, data-driven approach. Each member of the team wore an electronic badge that collected data about their interactions for his research.

Pentland found that the best teams are energetic, have equal participation in conversations, and communicate regularly with one another, not just with their leader. Pentland concluded that communication patterns are more important than intelligence, personality, or skill as a predictor of team success.

To thrive as a group, you must work well together. This belief is so strong that I founded Growth, an online platform to support the development of teams and their members.

It is possible to learn and practice better communication and team functioning. These are three ways to improve your team's performance.

1. You can check out

Meetings are a great place to get down to business. Meetings are a great way for teams to improve their team functioning.

Team members should take a moment to check in at the beginning of each meeting. Each member can share briefly what they feel, important events in their lives and any concerns that they have before the meeting begins.

This type of sharing at the beginning of meetings helps team members develop stronger relationships and better understand each other.

2. Define the values of your team

How your team works together is determined by the values of your team. What do you value most in your team? Honesty and transparency? Friendly work environment Hard work? Respect?

A team's ability to recognize and agree upon its values can help it grow in self-awareness. Members can gain a better understanding of one another's views and discover conflicting values by discussing these values.

Your team can refer to your value list for guidance in making important decisions and resolving team conflicts.

3. Select a goal for team development

My experience shows that the best teams always strive to improve. You can do this by setting a team goal. Your team might want to improve their sharing of information. They may also want to provide constructive feedback to each other.

The development goal of your team will help you determine your direction for growth. It's essential to have open discussions with your team before you can come up with a goal. If you want your team to buy in, it's important to have their support. Otherwise, they won't be motivated by the goal.

You can talk about ways to achieve your development goals together if you have a team. You can then check in as a group to see how you're doing.

Grow can be used by teams to help them with their continued development and practice. Contact us to learn more about Grow and how it can help your team.

——

Rudi Ramin originally published this article on LinkedIn

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By: Jopney Lein Sotomayor
Title: Startups Need Strong Teams
Sourced From: grow360.com/blog/startups-need-strong-teams
Published Date: Sat, 30 May 2020 02:55:00 +0000

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Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.

Do you want to skip the read and get right to my top pick? The best blogging platform for most people is WordPress with Hostinger hosting.

I’ve been making a good living as a blogger for over a decade. This is an area of the internet I know really well.

But a lot's changed since I started. Site builders have become more powerful while also making it easier to start a blog than ever. And now you can sell products within your blog posts, instead of just leaning on them to market your business.

Below, you'll find the five best tools for starting your blog today. Some of them I've used myself and like a lot–others are really good for bloggers with different needs and goals than my own.

By the end of this article, you’ll have found the right tool for starting your blogging journey. 

#1 – WordPress Review — The Best for Creating a Unique Blog

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WordPress is the most popular blogging platform in the world. It’s free to use and the potential to create is boundless.

You can blog for free at WordPress.com. The company hosts your site and gives you a subdomain. The downside is that it’s supported by running its own ads unless you upgrade your plan.

Alternatively, you can download the platform for free at WordPress.org and use it on a site you host yourself. Hosting isn’t free, but if you go with a high-quality WordPress host like Hostinger, the whole thing winds up being less expensive than going with a similar website builder.

The payoff is that you can build whatever you can imagine with your WordPress blog.

The whole WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org concept can be a little confusing, but both options work on the same platform. Personally, I prefer WordPress.org, because you are unrestricted in how you can bend and shape the platform to make it look and function exactly the way you want it to.

Plus, using WordPress.org and paying a hosting provider for web hosting tends to be a more cost-effective option than paying for a WordPress.com plan.

Either route you choose, it starts with choosing your WordPress theme. Think of it like a template that formats your whole site as opposed to just one page. There are a ton of amazing free themes to promote your content. These will keep your blog on brand and help you curate posts for your readers.

To add more functionality to your blog, there are tens of thousands of WordPress plugins you can use. These will help with SEO, site security, setting up newsletter subscriptions, and so much more. Lots of useful plugins are free.

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There are also premium plugins and themes you can buy to add rich capabilities or custom looks for your site.

Since WordPress is open-source and ridiculously popular, there is an active community that is constantly building new features for today’s challenges. These are just some of the reasons more people choose WordPress for their blog:

• 55,000+ plugins to extend the functionality of your site
• Thousands of free and premium themes
• The Gutenburg block editor
• Advanced user roles and permissions
• Powerful media management
• A massive community of experts
• Infinite design control

You can get plugins and themes to take your site wherever it needs to go, and if you can’t, there is probably someone working on a solution right now.

With Wix and Squarespace, you are paying for an all-in-one platform. With WordPress, the platform is free, and you can purchase what you need à la carte. Choose your own mix of plugins and themes to get exactly what you need.

Turn your blog into a social media forum or host member’s only content behind a paywall. Anything you want is as simple as finding the right plugin.

Wix is going to be easier to use, especially at first, but WordPress is by no means difficult.

If you start building out a really complex site with a lot of plugins, sure, it’s going to be more work to maintain, but you’ll also have a blog that’s much more unique than what you could assemble on Wix.

In terms of day-to-day editing, though, WordPress is a breeze. The Gutenberg editor simplifies that process of arranging and refining your blog. You can work in HTML or edit visually, block by block, and effortlessly add content from your media library.

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For the non-technical user, building a custom blog that’s rich with images and videos is incredibly easy. Gutenberg can even help you cut down on the number of plugins you need, which can start to cause conflicts if you are using too many.

Looking at the all-in costs of using WordPress as a blogging platform, it really depends what you are trying to do. And, of course, which version of the platform you use.

WordPress.com lets you start completely for free, but there are several paid plans that allow you to do more. For example, for just $4 per month, you can remove WordPress ads and receive a custom domain free for one year. These plans scale all the way up to $45 per month for an ecommerce-focused package.

But WordPress.org is completely free forever. It's just about keeping in mind the associated costs.

One such cost is utilizing themes and plugins. Many free ones are available, but premium ones will usually cost you some cash.

The other big one is hosting, which you're on the hook for with WordPress.org. Fret not, though, because you can find a great deal on hosting that costs significantly less per month than any of WordPress.com's paid plans.

If you are just starting your blog, I’d recommend Hostinger's WordPress Starter hosting plan. It starts at $3.99 per month. They give you a free domain name for the first year, automatic WordPress installation and updates, and a fantastic site building wizard.

The whole process takes minutes instead of hours. It is affordable, easy to set up, and Hostinger takes over some of the maintenance. For all these reasons, I recommend Hostinger as the best way to start a WordPress blog.

#2 – Wix Review — The Best for Launching a Beautiful Blog Right Now

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If you are looking for the shortest distance between you and a working blog, go with Wix. There are other great options on my list, but nothing is as easy to get started with. It’s an excellent choice for beginners interested in creating a full-fledged website with a blog included.

Getting things set up is as simple as using the drag-and-drop editor to design your site. There's no code necessary.

Wix is highly template-driven, but there are an astonishing range of options available. You’ll be able to find something that fits with your brand and tweak it to match the vision in your head.

Alternatively, you can use Wix Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI). Just answer a few questions about who you are and the purpose of your blog, and Wix ADI will create a website for you. I’m not kidding:

And even if you want to design your own site, Wix ADI will help you figure out which layouts work best by letting you preview your content before making a decision.

Everything looks crisp with very little configuration on your end. Your final product is going to make a professional impression, whether visitors are on a laptop or mobile phone.

And if you are an on-the-go person, don’t worry. The Wix mobile app lets you design and blog right from your phone.

In terms of growing your audience, Wix comes packed with powerful tools to help you increase your reach and engage meaningfully online:

• Industry-leading SEO tools
• Social media tools
• Visitor analytics
• Post scheduling
• Embed HTML codes
• Categories and hashtags
• Advanced search capabilities
• Collaborators
• Easy image editing

From site building to outreach, Wix is a lot more than just a blogging platform. You can get started today and use Wix free forever.

A free Wix account keeps things simple and still gives you access to the world-class site building tools. But your site will have wixsite.com in the web address, and you’re limited to 500GB bandwidth, which basically means it only works for small sites without too much traffic.

The other drawback of the free-forever plan is the Wix ads, which enable the company to offer the free version. If you are running your blog as part of your business, do you really want another company’s advertisements?

If you upgrade, Wix removes the ads and gives you a custom domain name free for the first year. Your blog is fully yours, which I think is more than worth it.

Premium Wix plans are broken down into three groups: Websites, Business and Ecommerce, and Enterprise. 

If you are looking for a straight-up blogging platform, Wix has a few different plans that get the job done:

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Plans start at $16 per month for Combo, which is good for personal use, and range up to $45 per month for the VIP plan, which has a lot more storage space and tools to grow your brand. This price includes web hosting, which normally costs around $10 per month. Really, Wix includes everything you need as part of the premium package.

Business and ecommerce plans start at $27 per month and allow you to accept payments online and sell products and services directly from your blog. Even for more complex sites, the Wix set up process will still be very user-friendly.

Wix is an excellent choice for individuals and small businesses trying to get the word out. There’s a 100 page limit for Wix websites (excluding blog posts, of course), and site performance may suffer if you start to hit the upper limit.

If this is a concern, I’d just go with WordPress, which can grow as big as you need. That said, Wix offers custom solutions for enterprise clients that start at $500 per month.

For most users, especially those looking to get their blog up and running without any stress or frustration, Wix is fantastic.

Try Wix Premium today free for 14 days, or blog free as long as you like.

#3 – Squarespace Review — The Best for Bold Branding Without a Web Designer

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Squarespace is an all-in-one website builder, like Wix. However, it’s famous for aesthetically pleasing templates, making it perfect for visual-based businesses like photographers, designers, and artists. 

Looking at the clean, beautiful brand presentation on Squarespace blogs, you might think that everyone hired a designer to get there. In reality, it might be that person's first website ever.

Don’t get me wrong. Graphic design gurus can take Squarespace to amazing places, but I think the draw of the platform is that non-technical folks can spin up a striking site themselves.

For the entrepreneur or small business looking to build their online presence, Squarespace is a phenomenal choice. They can get the sleek blog they want without having to hire a web designer or developer.

This is huge, because you’re not having to pay anyone to create your site or having to scramble to find assistance when something breaks.

And if something does go wrong, Squarespace has highly-responsive customer service available 24/7. The relatively small monthly fee for the sitebuilder is probably a lot less than keeping a professional designer on retainer. 

Think of Squarespace as a middle-of-the-road option between Wix and WordPress—it’s got a little more freedom to customize than Wix, though not as much as WordPress. But it’s going to be easier to use on day one than WordPress.

Like Wix, you start with templates and customize from there. Squarespace templates are very elegant, and the editor is drag-and-drop, which means no coding to get started.

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What you see is what you get in terms of design, so you are not having to preview your page constantly to make sure everything is placed where it needs to go.

While the Squarespace interface isn’t as intuitive as Wix, it’s not hard to get the hang of it. And once you do, you’ll find that you have more control over what you can do with the color palette and layout. 

This freedom is why a lot of artists, designers, and creatives flock to Squarespace.

Not that you need to be a designer to achieve an elegant blog on Squarespace. People without an artistic bone in their body are creating amazing sites on the platform every day. 

For a company that wants a beautiful blog, but doesn’t want to hire a designer to babysit it, Squarespace is perfect.

Out of the box, you get:

• Free blogging templates to help you get started
• Categories, tags, and featured posts
• Built-in post scheduler
• Contributor permissions
• In-depth analytics
• SEO and social media tools
• Email marketing tools
• Expert customer service
• Mobile app

Now you won’t have total control to customize, as you do with the thousands of plugins offered by WordPress. That said, all of the add-ons and third-party extensions in Squarespace are built into the platform—this means no maintenance or updates for you.

This is going to be less work than managing WordPress plugins and themes.

Adding ecommerce functionality to your Squarespace blog is extremely easy. Launch an online store, book appointments, or create and sell member’s only content. 

Get these features set up in minutes and drive the right type of traffic to your blog with Squarespace’s excellent marketing and SEO tools. Everything you need for a complete website for your business is just as easy to set up as your blog, and it’s all going to look sharp.

Squarespace plans start at $14 per month for a website, and as low as $23 per month to add ecommerce functionality:

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The Personal plan is more than enough to power your website with a very good looking blog. You get the rich design and editing features I’ve described, as well as access to basic website metrics and the Squarespace extensions, which can expand your site with third-party features and content.

The Business plan lets you accept secure online payments and further customize your site with premium integrations. Take reservations, book appointments, or sell products and services. Choose the features you want and leave the maintenance to Squarespace.

I like the Business plan because you get more advanced analytics to understand your audience and fine-tune your marketing strategy. With higher tier plans, you’ll get more tools to understand your web traffic and additional ecommerce functions.

No matter what plan you choose, you get access to Squarespace’s customer service any time of day. For companies looking to get by without a web designer, the always-available assistance is a huge relief.

Squarespace is a fantastic option that keeps improving. The company is constantly adding features and upgrading the interface. 

Within a week or two, anyone can become a Squarespace master even if they are starting from scratch. It’s the perfect platform for an individual or small company that wants a professional-looking blog without hiring a professional to get it.

Try Squarespace free for 14 days and give your company the on-brand blog you’ve always wanted.

#4 – Medium Review — The Best for Reaching Readers with Minimal Effort

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One thing most blogging platforms don’t include is a built in audience. Medium does.

In order to read a lot of the premium content on Medium, you need to pay a monthly membership fee. Some of that money goes to sustain the site, but some goes to the writers whose stories are being read.

So, if you write on Medium and join the Partner Program (which is free, and you don’t have to be a paying Medium member to join it), there’s a chance you could earn money if people spend time reading your blog posts.

For any topic you can think of, there is a Medium audience waiting to read more. You can share your posts easily, and check out what other bloggers in your space are doing. People who read similar types of posts to yours will see your posts if you join the Partner Program.

This is a potentially monster avenue for targeted outreach within your niche. And a way to gain clout quickly by publishing alongside some bigger names in your topic of choice.

Now it’s not entirely clear just how Medium curates your posts for other readers, which can be a little frustrating for bloggers who can’t find traction on the platform. That said, Medium does provide helpful stats about your visitors so you can get a sense of how traffic is arriving.

You also can’t make a million dollars on Medium, like you can with a website builder that has more ways to monetize your content.

But you also don’t have to worry about hosting or maintenance with Medium. The lack of effort is a huge plus for bloggers looking to write, not write code.

In that sense, Medium makes the initial hurdle to getting paid for blogging as easy as possible.

And if you aren’t worried about turning a profit, Medium is one of the best free blogging platforms available. 

There’s a good bit of design freedom, though definitely not as much as you get with website builders like Squarespace. You can play with the layout and fonts to capture your online persona, and you never have to worry about advertisements disrupting your flow.

You don’t have a techie bone in your body to start drafting, editing, and embedding your own pictures or third-party media.

That’s another big draw with Medium: you hardly have any work to get perfectly formatted, mobile responsive blog posts. Everything lands on feed curated beautifully for readers:

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For individuals and businesses alike, Medium is the perfect stress-free option for blogging. 

Spotlight an ongoing portfolio of work, client success stories, your hottest daily deals, or simply share news and updates. 

Medium lets you connect with a curated audience for free, and gives you the ability to share posts across social media with ease.

All of this through your own blog, which you don’t have to pay for or maintain.

Start using Medium today for free, and who knows, maybe you can generate a little cash on the side.

#5 – Blogger Review – The Best for Sharing Your Story

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Blogger is a great platform for the casual blogger, individuals advocating for a cause, or potentially companies who want nothing more than a traditional blog. 

It’s owned by Google, and offers the same level of dependability and intuitive navigation as Chrome and Gmail. If you can write an email, you can write a post on Blogger.

It’s also entirely free, forever, and includes your own subdomain. Your web address will be at example.blogspot.com. Set up takes minutes, and you never have to worry about hosting, storing your files, or keeping your site speed fast.

Leave that all to Google.

If you are trying to create an on-brand blog, and you want to get rid of the blogspot subdomain, simply purchase your own custom domain through one of the best domain registrars. It’s very easy to set everything up, especially if you use Google Domains.

I like it best for personal use as the platform is limited in some ways that can hamstring a blog built for business purposes. You have options to tweak the blog presentation, but you can’t change too much to make it your own.

There are gadgets to add functionality to your blog, but nothing remotely close to the power and diversity of WordPress plugins. You also have no ecommerce options, as you would with other website builders.

That said, you can monetize your Blogger page very easily using Google Adsense. Fill out a quick form with your payment information, and Blogger will put relevant ads on your site, bringing you income based on how many people visit.

Now this isn’t your ticket to a full time salary, but a little revenue coming in the door from your blog can’t hurt. All of the essentials you need to get started are included, like:

• Image storage with Google Photos
• Integrated ad campaigns
• Simple text editor
• A free SSL certificate and free domain mapping
• Google integrations

Think of Blogger as a low-stress, near-zero maintenance blogging platform. It works well for people that have a story to share, but aren’t willing to invest significant time and resources into their blog.

Your story could be about your life, your product, your community, whatever you want. Blogger gives you a venue to broadcast your message, and Google handles all the technical legwork. You don’t have to worry about backing up your site or getting hacked.

If you aren’t super worried about aesthetics, Blogger is a good choice. The template selection is relatively sparse and you have to know HTML in order to customize beyond the basics. 

In other words, you are not going to be able to create a really unique experience for your readers with interactive content and dynamic pages as easily as you can with a website builder like Wix. 

The Blogger templates are repeated everywhere on the web. If that doesn’t bother you, Blogger is going to be one of the easiest and cheapest ways to get your blog off the ground.

Choose Blogger if what you want is a traditional blog. With minimal effort and oversight, you’ll be able to get a readable blog off the ground. 

Start your blog for free today.

What I Looked at to Find the Best Blogging Platform

Your options break down into two basic categories:

1. Traditional blogging platforms
2. Website builders with great blogging capability

Depending on what you are trying to do, one of these is going to make a lot more sense than the other.

If you are looking for a low maintenance venue to share stories with the world or advocate for a cause, traditional blogging platforms are perfect. They can also work as a simple portfolio for businesses that want to share wins and finished work.

Website builders can do a whole lot more, though they aren’t free like the traditional platforms. 

Let me walk you through the major criteria you need to figure out which type you want, and how to weigh your different options from there.

Cost and Revenue

For some bloggers, turning a profit isn’t the main focus. If they can make a little extra cash on the side, it’s a bonus, but they’re not depending on blog income to live.

If you fall in this group, I strongly suggest checking out Medium and Blogger. 

These two traditional blogging platforms are free forever. You don’t have to pay for hosting, web design, or worry about the site staying online. These providers handle all of that.

There are free versions of Wix and WordPress, but I like Medium and Blogger better because you won’t have any vendor ads on your site. In fact, Blogger lets you run ads and keep the money yourself. 

Medium has a Partner Program that lets you earn money on your blog posts if people read them. The program is free to join and takes no effort on your part to get your posts in front of new readers who care about your blogging niche. 

You can even add affiliate links to your Medium posts to generate your own source of revenue. Some free platforms don’t let you do this.

If you are using the platform for a business or want to make serious money blogging, I’ll steer you toward Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress. These options aren’t free, but there is a ton of value in what they provide.

For instance, you’ll be able to accept payments for products, services, and put content behind a membership paywall. The free platforms don’t support ecommerce, even if you do get a few avenues to monetize.

I’ll say more about the benefits of premium blogging platforms throughout this post, but it really comes down to this simple truth—the more you want your blog to do, the more it’s going to cost.

To decide between the paid platforms, look at how they offer services, as one may have a better pricing set up for your needs.

With Wix, for example, you can purchase all-in-one plans that include literally everything you need to get a site up and running. You can choose plans for simple blogs or plans for ecommerce and you are good to go.

WordPress, on the other hand, is free to download, but you have to pay for hosting. Wix and Squarespace take care of the hosting and lump the cost in the total package.

What you’ll find, though, is that hosting your own WordPress site often winds up being cheaper than getting everything bundled. 

It’s a little more legwork on your part, but you also get a lot more control. Instead of purchasing a package of features and templates, you can add WordPress plugins and themes at your own discretion.

Is your blog going to have videos, plugins, or other resource-intensive features? 

Make sure the plan you're considering comes with enough resources to support your site. Storage and traffic requirements may disqualify the entry-level plans.

If you are just starting off, this isn’t too much of a concern. But performance can suffer once you start to see a lot of traffic or add a lot of features to your site. No one reads blogs that take a long time to load.

Branding Your Blog Your Way

Is your blog part of your brand? This is important when looking at blogging platforms, as some of your free options are going to limit the branding control you have.

WordPress and Wix support their freemium options by running their own ads on your site. You don’t control what they sell or see any revenue. It’s no big deal for a hobby blog, but far from ideal for a business.

Blogger and Medium, on the other hand, don’t run ads. So if you want a free blog to promote your business, I’d start with one of those two.

You also want to get your own domain name to build your brand. Free blogs give you a subdomain with their company name in your web address. On blogger, your URL would be yourusername.blogspot.com.

It’s easy to buy your own domain name and looks way more professional. It also helps search engines like Google direct the right people to your site.

Wix and Squarespace include a free domain name for the first year, so you can get that custom web address without anyone else’s brand involved. 

If you sign up for WordPress hosting via Hostinger, you get a domain name free for the first year as well. I think this is the best way to start a WordPress blog.

With the website builders, you get a lot more freedom to create your site your way. It’s easier to align your blog with your brand when you have more control.

Design Freedom

Blogger and Medium offer simple tools to create, organize, and share posts. There’s not a ton you can do with the layout, but it’s always going to look sharp.

The premium blogging platforms give you a lot more control and design flexibility, allowing you to build a complete website and brand around your blog.

Customize the look and feel of nearly every aspect of your blog instead of having to color inside the lines someone else drew.

For the first time blogger who wants an original site, I highly recommend Wix. There’s virtually no learning curve and you can drag-and-drop your way to a site you love.

Squarespace is very approachable in terms of design. It might take slightly longer for the novice user to build their first site than with Wix, but the tradeoff is greater control over your blog’s layout and design.

It’s one of the reasons that Squarespace is the website builder of choice for many artists, architects, photographers, and the like.

WordPress is at the top of the heap in terms of design freedom. There is little you can’t do, but there is a bit of a learning curve. It’s certainly manageable, just a little harder in the first hours than Wix.

But if you are looking for the freedom to create, a WordPress blog is your ticket to infinite possibility.

Maintenance Requirements

How much upkeep does your blog require? 

Or put it this way: How much time are you willing to spend making sure your blog is up and running?

Those who want a hands-off blog experience are going to be very happy with Medium and Blogger. You don’t have to worry about hosting, or updates, or really anything besides publishing your posts.

Wix and Squarespace are still fairly hands-off in terms of maintenance. They can host your blog, manage SSL certificates, patch security issues, and all the other backend work that most bloggers aren’t excited about.

With WordPress you’ll need to get web hosting and a domain name to get started. Over time, you’ll have to update WordPress as well as any plugins and themes you use. As the most free-range, customizable platform, it requires the most attention.

This is why I recommend that people starting their first WordPress blog use Hostinger. For less than $4 per month, you can get WordPress hosting that comes with automated WordPress updates and a free domain name for the first year.

Get everything you need in one place and let Hostinger take over some of the basic maintenance.

Tools for Growing Your Audience

One of the big reasons I recommend these particular blogging platforms is that they all include features that make it easier to connect more people. 

It could be readers, customers, fellow enthusiasts—whatever your blog audience, you can build it bigger with these solutions.

Even the free platforms. Blogger analyzes traffic on your site and lets you know how visitors arrived. Connect Google Analytics for a deeper picture of what’s happening.

Blogger also integrates with popular email marketing services, which turn your blog into a newsletter.

Medium has a built-in audience of paying readers. Once you join the Partner Program, Medium will curate your content for readers who are interested in similar blog posts. 

Plus, you can easily share your Medium posts across social channels, reaching exponentially more readers with a few clicks.

And those are just the free options. If you go with a premium platform, the quality and variety of your growth features increases tremendously. 

Squarespace includes free email campaign tools to help you build your list. You can add on premium email marketing tools as well, to automate tens of thousands of sends each month.

Wix keeps SEO front and center. At a glance, you can monitor blog performance on the dashboard. To get a richer understanding, there are integrations with Google Analytics and Ubersuggest, which could be the best tool you can get for understanding how to improve SEO on your blog.

WordPress lets you broadcast your message and engage your audience along any conceivable vector. Use plugins to turn your website into an SEO powerhouse or double your blog’s traffic. There are thousands of plugins and a giant community of users building new solutions every day.

The bottom line is this: If you want people to read your blog, you can’t just curate posts and expect the world to figure it out. 

To increase traffic, you’ll want to cast a wider net across social media and other channels. All these products can help, but which one aligns with your audience?

Blogging Platform FAQ

What blogging platform features should I consider?

Consider security, ease of use, price, customer support, and if they offer features you need for your specific website.

What are some of the best blogging platforms?

WordPresss, Wix, SquareSpace, Blogger, and Medium.

How do I design my blog?

Most blogging platforms offer templates, themes, and designs that you simply have to add to the blog on the backend (in the CMS).

Do all blogging platforms have SEO?

Most blogging platforms have plugins or add-ons that do some SEO automatically for you, like creating a sitemap. However, it is good to know some basic SEO that will help you when you're writing content.

Conclusion

If you are still having trouble deciding about which blogging platform to choose, I suggest checking out the vendors sites and reading their blog.

How does it look? They are using their own platform, likely pushing it to the edge of possibility in order to show off new features.

This will give you a really strong sense of what you can do with each platform. Follow these links to visit my top recommendations:

1. WordPress – Best for creating a unique blog
2. Wix – Best for launching a beautiful blog right now
3. Squarespace – Best for bold branding without a designer
4. Medium – Best for reaching readers with minimal effort
5. Blogger – Best for sharing your story

WordPress is my top choice if you are trying to deliver a unique blog experience for your readers. There are no limits to what you can create, and if you pick a reputable cheap web hosting option like Hostinger, it may cost you less than the all-in-one website builders.

Wix will even let you start editing a sample blog right on their site, to get a feel for how the designer works. If you like it, you can begin working on your own Wix blog immediately.

In terms of getting a great looking blog off the ground quickly—with zero web development experience—Wix should be a top choice.

Squarespace is another excellent choice for those without a ton of web design or development resources. It’s not quite as easy as Wix, but it does provide more artistic freedom. Along with the top-notch customer service, Squarespace can help you handle all of your website and blogging needs without having to hire someone.

In terms of free blogs, I highly recommend Medium to people looking to broaden their audience without investing too much time. The built-in readership is unlike any other platform and offers a great way to connect without spending more money.

And if you came to this post to find a free and simple way to share your story with the world, Blogger will suit you just fine. It’s a no frills platform that’s supported by Google. What more could you want?

What’s your go-to blogging platform and why?

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By: Neil Patel
Title: The Best Blogging Platforms (In-Depth Review)
Sourced From: neilpatel.com/blog/best-blogging-platforms/
Published Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2022 17:30:00 +0000

There are various types of digital marketing courses. The course you choose should teach you the fundamentals of digital marketing. Choose a course that offers you industry-specific tutors or mentors. The program should prepare you to land a job in the digital marketing industry within 180 days after you finish the program. Moreover, some courses include job guarantees to ensure your success. One such guarantee is provided by CareerFoundry, which requires its students to land a job within 180 days after completing the program.

Content marketing is the most crucial part of digital marketing course content

The most crucial part of digital marketing course content is the content. Content marketing is the foundation of all marketing efforts today. To attract customers, your content must be relevant, helpful, and timely. Your audience prefers to do business with brands that they already know and trust. The following tips will help you create engaging content for your audience. Adapt the content marketing strategy to your business model and brand. This way, you can build long-lasting relationships with your audience.

First, you must learn how to create content that solves problems for customers. Content marketing is a great way to attract potential customers. While advertising is a cost-effective method, it doesn't allow you to control where and how your ad will appear. Content marketing allows you to make your own distribution channels, formulate storylines, and develop relationships with your target audience. This will set you apart from your competition.

Google Analytics is a key tool for digital marketers

Google Analytics is a powerful web data analysis tool that enables digital marketers to gather and analyze web data. The dashboards enable digital marketers to gain insight on the types of web traffic and where it originates. Data is updated in real-time, making it easy to spot trends and identify ways to boost web content. The Google Analytics dashboards are available to all digital marketers, including agency staff and clients. In addition to enabling digital marketers to measure web traffic, Google Analytics also enables them to understand how best to make their website content more engaging.

Google Analytics offers a variety of audience reports to analyze website traffic. Various types of audiences can be tracked by using the different dimensions and metrics. These reports are separated according to their scope, which is user, session, and hit. Each report can help digital marketers analyze how their website is performing, and what changes need to be made. To make the most of these reports, it is important to understand the differences between each type of audience and what makes them tick.

Udemy offers a digital marketing course

If you are looking for a comprehensive online course on digital marketing, Udemy has an excellent collection of courses. The Udemy Complete Digital Marketing Course is one such option. The course is comprised of 12 modules and 22 hours of on-demand video content. The course is very interactive, with real-life examples to help you understand the concepts taught. The instructors are experienced digital marketing experts, who have trained over three million people about how to be successful with their online businesses.

This course covers the basic concepts and vocabulary of digital marketing. It also covers the latest trends and technologies that are used in the industry. Unlike other online courses, however, Udemy does not offer lifetime access to the material. You have to complete the course within a year of purchase. That said, if you are serious about your digital marketing career, this course is well worth a look. There are plenty of benefits to completing the course.

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There are many online marketing courses available in Canada, but which one should you choose? These courses range from Thinkful's Digital Marketing Immersion to IIDE's Online Digital Marketing course. If you are looking for a more immersive learning experience, in-person classes are a great choice. You will learn relevant skills from industry professionals and get the chance to network with classmates. Here are some tips to choose the right one. Here are a few of our favorites.

IIDE's online digital marketing course

If you want to learn digital marketing and start a successful career in the industry, an online course offered by IIDE could be the perfect option for you. The course is taught by experienced industry professionals and will give you the tools and knowledge to start your career in the digital world. In just four months, you can learn all the basics of digital marketing from IIDE. You'll also be able to boost your career by applying your knowledge in a real-world setting.

Thinkful's Digital Marketing Immersion

Thoughtful's Digital Marketing Immersion is not a traditional college or university, but rather, a unique online bootcamp. Thinkful students are mentored by industry professionals in their field. These professionals answer questions and guide students on their way to a rewarding career once they graduate. Thinkful offers a deferred tuition option that enables students to defer payments until they have graduated. However, some students might find it difficult to pay for the bootcamp in full.

Noble's Social Media Marketing Certificate

If you've ever wondered how to become a successful social media marketer, Noble Desktop's Business & LinkedIn course can help you. With insights into LinkedIn's business community, you can build professional credibility, network, and generate leads. LinkedIn boasts over 660 million users and includes a host of campaign manager tools. The course will teach you how to leverage its powerful features and reach a wider audience. Here's a breakdown of what you can expect from this course.

Centennial College's Digital Marketing Diploma

The demand for marketers with a digital marketing background is increasing rapidly, making it more important than ever to become a skilled professional in this field. Centennial College's 40-week diploma course is the perfect way to equip yourself with the latest digital marketing skills, while networking with industry professionals. It also includes an off-site internship, which will give you hands-on experience and develop your networking skills. The program is flexible and designed to meet your personal needs.

General Assembly's Digital Marketing Bootcamp

Students interested in learning digital marketing should consider taking up one of General Assembly's part-time online marketing courses. Designed for working professionals, these online programs are designed to give students versatile tools to succeed in digital marketing. Course topics cover everything from planning and launching digital marketing campaigns to measuring and optimizing them. General Assembly also offers scholarships and income sharing plans to help students pay for their course. You should consider taking this course to prepare for a rewarding career in digital marketing.

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If you want your online marketing blog to get found, there are a few things you should do before you start writing content. Think With Google, Content Marketing Institute, Smarp, and Moz are great places to get started. They can all help you get a blog noticed in the SERPs. But, there are some things you should avoid, and here are a few you should do. Here are some of the biggest mistakes marketers make.

Think With Google

Using Google's Think With G. resources to market your business can be a great way to increase your website traffic and brand recognition. Google is a perfect example of a company that is practicing inbound marketing, and its website is chock full of great content, CTAs and an Advertise With Google theme. As a result, using the Think With G. platform can help you expand your content and increase your traffic at the same time.

Moz

The Moz online marketing blog has become a popular resource for people looking for SEO news. The blog covers a wide variety of topics related to search engine optimization, from recent Google algorithm updates to keyword planning guides. There's something for everyone on the Moz blog, including beginners. But if you're not sure which posts to follow, you can start with the free tools. They'll be more useful than you think!

Content Marketing Institute

The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) recently announced that Pace Communications has been named the 2021 Agency of the Year. Pace is the largest woman-owned independent marketing agency in North America. In addition, Pace received the top award from the CMI's Content Marketing Awards program, which honors the world's best content marketing agencies and projects. The awards program recognizes excellence in 80 categories, including social media, design, and editorial.

Smarp

Smarp has recently closed three million euros in new funding from Visionplus, Tekes, and Finnvera. This new funding will be used to accelerate the growth of Smarp and its team. Over the past year, Smarp has seen its headcount and revenue multiply over three times. This latest round of funding will help Smarp continue its meteoric growth. Read on to learn more about this new funding and the benefits of Smarp's innovative online marketing tools.

DreamGrow

In addition to providing actionable tips on content marketing, the DreamGrow online marketing blog also contains information on social media. The site covers everything from industry news to social media platforms and the latest features announced by the various social networks. The blog also offers insights into how to improve business growth through social media and blogging. Founded by an internet marketing expert, DreamGrow has been publishing high-quality content for years. Its focus on social media is apparent from its title, as the site frequently shares recommendations and advice on various social media platforms.

Search Engine Watch

If you're looking for online marketing blogs, there are plenty to choose from. Search Engine Watch is an industry leader and hosts a variety of topics in the world of search engine marketing, including paid search, analytics, local search, mobile and social media. It's a great resource for people trying to find the best way to promote their website and stay one step ahead of competitors. You'll find articles and other resources on every aspect of search engine marketing, from keywords to meta tags.

Search Engine Journal

The name of this SEO blog implies that it is centered around SEO, but it is more than just that. It offers helpful articles on other topics such as Paid Search, Content Marketing, and Social Media. You'll also find guides from marketing experts and information about the latest changes to search engine algorithms. Search Engine Journal also features articles by Orbit Media Studios, a top-notch web design studio. Their guest bloggers provide helpful tips for website design.

Plerdy

The purpose of Plerdy's online marketing blog is to help website owners optimize their online presence for better conversions. This tool is suitable for web designers, SEO agencies, and UX specialists, as it tracks user behavior and clicks across various channels. Plerdy also offers a variety of UX and SEO analytics, so website owners can improve the user experience and convert more visitors into customers. To learn more about Plerdy's online marketing blog, read on!

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To get the most out of your online marketing strategy, you should consider using online marketing software that helps you keep track of your customer's behavior and improve your conversion rate. We've compared Hubspot, ActiveCampaign, Oribi, and Hootsuite. Which one is best for you? What's their best feature? Take our quiz to find out. Let's get started! Read on to learn about the best online marketing software available.

Hootsuite

You can create and manage multiple accounts with the help of Hootsuite's online marketing software. The program allows you to monitor social media networks, manage your posts and follow other users, and filter keywords. You can also respond directly to customer queries. The software has many benefits, including a free 30-day trial for both professional and team users. Once the free trial ends, you'll have to purchase a paid plan. There are two levels of plan: the basic and professional plan. The free version allows you to manage up to three profiles, schedule 30 messages ahead of time, and has an administrative account.

Hubspot

If you are a startup, you may have questions about the best way to get started with HubSpot online marketing software. The right answer depends on your budget. If you are a small business, you might want to consider HubSpot for Startups, which gives you access to the software at a discounted price. In the program, you will receive extra training and education tailored for startups and small businesses. The discount will vary depending on your startup's stage of growth.

ActiveCampaign

If you're looking to automate your email marketing campaigns and keep track of site visitor behavior, ActiveCampaign is a great option. Not only can you create customized email campaigns, you can also track customer activity and build personalized customer profiles. ActiveCampaign can help you achieve all of this and more. Whether your audience is on a mobile device or a desktop, ActiveCampaign can help. ActiveCampaign has a variety of features for email marketers and integrations with platforms like Zapier. Its customer support and training materials are excellent as well.

Oribi

If you haven't yet used Oribi, you're missing out on one of the best online marketing tools available. Its advanced analytics tools let you identify where your visitors are coming from and what they're doing. You can also use it to track and analyze the performance of your website's ads. The software's tracking options include a variety of options to measure conversions and website traffic. For more information, see Oribi's website analysis guide.

Kapost

Kapost is an online marketing software that enables you to create, manage, and publish content for your website, blog, or social media accounts. Kapost helps you align content with your personas, buying stages, and interests so your audience can find what they're looking for. You can also collaborate with your team and track content performance. You can use Kapost to make content schedules and plan your strategy. Kapost also integrates with Marketo, Eloqua, Pardot, and Salesforce.

SquareSpace

If you are looking for a way to increase sales with your website, SquareSpace's online marketing software can help. Squarespace includes a comprehensive analytics package that allows you to see who is visiting your site, where they come from, what they do once they arrive, and even which marketing activities are working. This is important for understanding your target audience and determining improvements. The software also allows you to toggle between desktop and mobile views, so you can track the success of your marketing efforts from any device.

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Marketing Insider Group's first article, How Televerde Attained Double-Digit Traffic and Lead Increases with Our Content Marketing Service, appeared first on Marketing Insider Group.

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By: Michael Brenner
Title: How Televerde Gained Double-Digit Increases in Traffic and Leads with Our Content Marketing Service
Sourced From: marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/televerde-double-digit-increases-in-traffic-leads-with-our-content-marketing-service/
Published Date: Wed, 01 Jun 2022 09:05:48 +0000

If you want to improve your online marketing strategy, you'll need the right online marketing tools. These tools are vital for achieving the success of any business, and if you don't use them, you'll be missing out on a lot of potential leads. Here's a rundown of the most useful online tools for business. Read on to learn more. We'll start with HubSpot, then move on to SendPulse, Marketo, and Sharp Springtime.

HubSpot

If you're not sure how to use your blog effectively, HubSpot's dashboard will give you an overview of your performance. You can filter your data by date range, content type, and more. HubSpot will also let you see which of your recent posts have had the most clicks, opened emails, or comments. With the help of this tool, you'll be able to tweak your marketing strategy.

SendPulse

The SendPulse marketing automation platform enables businesses to automate the flow of targeted emails to their subscribers. It offers a variety of marketing channels including chatbots and web push notifications. The system enables users to create and customize messages based on their subscriber data and behavior. Additionally, it allows users to access campaign statistics, personalization, and behavioral segmentation. All of these features make it easy to create and send emails to your subscribers.

Marketo

If you're looking for an automated marketing platform that can cater to any size business, Marketo is a great choice. Its automation tools can automate everything from email marketing to landing pages. Additionally, it offers a seamless integration with Salesforce to keep your marketing and sales teams on the same page. To find out if Marketo is right for your company, check out the Marketo online demo. Here are the top benefits of using Marketo for your business.

Sharp Springtime

If you're looking for online marketing tools for your business, SharpSpring might be a good choice. This software lets you automate your email campaigns, track deliverability, and send outbound mails. The software can also be used to build personalized landing pages and automated email responders. In addition, it includes dynamic content and customizable templates for your emails. You can even set up your emails to be sent to multiple languages.

CrazyEgg

CrazyEgg is a great tool to track your visitor's behavior online. It can provide you with real-time analytics and heat maps to understand how people are engaging with your website. The tool's A/B testing capability helps you understand how different changes on your website affect your audience's behavior. It also provides you with a complete customer journey, allowing you to optimize your website to boost your conversions and user experience.

Lander

Lander is a great landing page builder that offers granular control and a wide array of analytics tools. Landing pages are the foundation of any online marketing strategy and with the help of Lander, you can create landing pages that convert. There are two plans: Basic and Professional. Lander Basic starts at $16 a month and goes up to $83/month for a Professional plan. Both plans include SSL Encryption, Facebook Landing Pages, A/B testing, and Email Support.

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There are several options available to you when it comes to taking free online marketing classes. A quick search on the Internet will turn up numerous free courses. Among them are Coursera, edX, and Skillshare. If you choose to attend a free online marketing class, make sure to check out the certifications offered by these organizations. Whether you're a full-time employee or want to become your own boss, you're sure to find a course that suits your needs.

Free online marketing courses

The Internet offers a number of free online marketing classes. Some of these are more comprehensive than others, and some cover more than one subject. In addition to marketing, you can learn the principles of digital marketing, including how to create content that will connect with your audience and yield measurable results. One free course offered by the University of Colorado Boulder is titled “Design and Make Infographics,” which covers everything from font selection to colors. You'll learn how to create a high-quality product in just fourteen hours.

Coursera

If you're looking for an affordable way to get a college education, Coursera offers online marketing classes. The digital marketing specialization takes eight months to complete and costs $592. You can sign up for the program for a free trial and take as many as three courses before committing. Then, you can pay a one-time fee of $74 per month for a Coursera plus subscription, which includes seven courses. The specialization is designed to teach the skills that are most sought after by employers.

edX

In addition to a wide variety of courses covering digital marketing, you can also find beginner-friendly options such as the free course Digital Marketing 101. This course covers topics such as branding your business, designing a website, SEO, paid marketing, copyright, social media marketing, video marketing, Facebook groups, and retargeting with ads. If you're considering learning how to market your business, you'll want to consider this option, as it is self-paced and delivered on-demand.

Skillshare

If you're looking to learn digital marketing, you may want to check out Skillshare online marketing classes. There are many topics to choose from, including SEO, social media, video marketing, email marketing, copywriting, and more. Beginners and savvy influencers alike can learn about Facebook and Instagram marketing, as well as how to improve search engine rankings. You can also learn about new tactics like TikTok.

University of Washington

You can take online marketing courses from the University of Washington without leaving the comfort of home. The university was founded in 1861, making it one of the oldest state-supported universities on the West Coast. Its goal is to educate tomorrow's leaders through research, innovation, and service. You can choose to audit a course for free or pay a nominal fee to verify your knowledge. Then, once you have taken the course, you can choose to enroll in a certificate program or take individual courses.

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