Lynn Terry, one of the top affiliate marketers that I follow, just wrote up a post on how to set up a WordPress blog. It's solid advice.

Read it and then come back here to read my specific tweaks to her set up.

Here are my specific tweaks:

1. I use NameCheap for my domain name registrar. I usually find a slightly better price on .com names here than at GoDaddy. I do have some legacy Godaddy-registered domain names, but all my new ones are coming through NameCheap. They also have monthly coupons that give you a little discount (usually about $1 off the current $9.69 price).

   I will say that I've never had problems with either of them.

2. For web hosting, I use BlueHost. They're very similar to HostGator.
3. Support is very quick and updating name servers between either GoDaddy or NameCheap and BlueHost is extremely quick (minutes not hours). Again, I've never had a problem with these folks.
4. For installing WP, I used to use Fantastico, until I tried SimpleScripts. It's a part of my cPanel on BlueHost. I'm not sure if HostGator uses SimpleScripts, but if they do, I highly recommend them.
5. I have used many themes over my blogging lifetime and I have to say that I really like the free Eximius theme. I'm not using it here (I'm using FlexSqueeze, which is totally awesome but not free). Eximius works out of the box and hasn't presented any issues thus far with any of the plugins I use.
6. Keyword research is the most important thing you can do when building a brand, site, and especially a niche site. Check out Market Samurai. It totally rocks.
7. WP customization. The most important thing I do here is install some really effective plugins, the most important of which is Jeff Johnson's Traffic Getting SEO Plugin^TM 2.0 – Free Version. You will have to sign up to his mailing list to get the plugin, but I highly suggest you do it; besides, Jeff is a traffic and SEO master. You'll love his how-to videos.

   Jeff's plugin actually incorporates quite a few plugins (it's kind of like a meta-plugin) and then tweaks them to perform optimally together.

That's about it! Now, get out and do it!!!

I've just compiled a set of six eBooks that show you how to get the most out of Twitter: How to set it up, use it, and market through it PLUS there's a cool book that shows you how to integrate your blog posts with twitter using simple WordPress plugins.

Learn all you can about using Twitter to gain more subscribers, drive traffic, and sell more stuff! Plus, it's kinda fun!

I want to share with you two ideas on using Ping.fm for your internet marketing promotional efforts.

NOTE: This is NOT a “How-to use Ping.fm” post. You can google “how to use Ping.fm” if you want that.

First, I use Ping.fm for the bulk of my internet marketing promos. I “ping” twitter, Facebook, and MySpace whenever I add or update a page on any of my sites. There is a WordPress plugin (actually, a few) that posts to Ping.fm whenever you make a post, but I have yet to get them to work reliably (and you know I’m a fan of automation!); for now, I just use the ping.fm toolbar.

Second, and this one is key: I “ping” those blogs on which I make a comment! I make regular use of comments on blogs; if I happen to come across a blog post that I really like, and to which I can add a valuable comment, I make my comment. Then, using for aforementioned toolbar, I ping that post.

Not only am I helping out the publisher that wrote the piece that I thought was brilliant, but I am also indirectly promoting my own site through the automatic link that (most) blogs make when a reader makes a comment! If you are crafty, you make your “name” your website name, or a keyword-rich title of a post you want the reader to view, then input your email address and the link you want your “name” to link to.

You may get diredct traffic from the comment. You also will get a valuable backlink to your site (or post on your site) IF the blog is a “do follow” blog. There is evidence that “no follow” links get followed by the search engines, even though they aren’t supposed to, including google, which is the SE that instituted the whole “no follow” baloney in the first place!

Beginning in the year 2002, blogs changed the online marketing world, quite possibly forever. While most people at that time started with various blogging systems, eventually most of them shifted to WordPress. WordPress has become so much more since then: A powerful website Content Management System that emerged from the need for a better blogging system.

If you read any popular blogging tips online, WordPress is often positioned as a tool that well, creates a blog. But an increasing number of marketers are finding that you can also use it as the most important tool upon which you can grow a profitable business empire. The most powerful function of WordPress itself lies in its ability to manage large amounts of text, audio and video content. After a dozen pages it becomes difficult to manage a static HTML site. Although you can use template-driven software as well like SBI or DreamWeaver, nothing beats the ease of WordPress.

Using premium blogging tools (many of them free), you can easily create a static website, an article directory, a WordPress-based membership site, a complete e-commerce site, an auction site, a portfolio site and so much more. As a matter of fact, you can also just about use it for anything.

Besides that, Search Engine Optimization is another important element. By default, WordPress is pretty good at optimizing and creating SEO-friendly content. However you can also get more serious and utilize simple WordPress plugins to further increase your SEO rankings and get better Yahoo, Google, or Bing rankings.

However, the best thing about WordPress is its flexibility. You can easily switch between WordPress themes, and improve its functions by using plugins and even some custom programming. PLUS, it’s free.

If you aren’t using WordPress yet, you should seriously consider doing so. The learning curve has reduced substantially in the past 3 years. At the moment it’s so easy to use even a six-year old kid can figure it out. To power your online business, go ahead and use WordPress!

To discover more about WordPress, I strongly recommend that you signup for this training:

WordPress Wizard

As a member you’ll get tons of step-by-step video tutorials on how to use WordPress, web 2.0 technology, search engine optimization (SEO), making money from Google AdSense and affiliate marketing, and so much more. Get more information here:

WordPress Wizard

Below is a link to a fantastic explanation of user roles in WordPress (specifically, WP2.0+). Here’s an excerpt:

There are five built in roles in WP2.0+. These roles, Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor and Subscriber compartmentalize most of the groups of functionality in WordPress.

WordPress FAQ: User Roles Confusion | Technosailor.com
Technorati Tags: WordPress, WordPress user roles