Here at Victory Website And Blog Designs we pride ourselves in continually growing and learning new online marketing techniques. This allows us to constantly offer our clients new and exciting services.

So with that said we are happy to offer Pay Per Click set up and management services. We have been learning and practicing Pay Per Click for a while now and finally feel that we have perfected it enough to offer it to our clients. If you would like to hear more about this service and how it can impact your business please fill out the form below for your free consultation.

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Technorati states that there are millions of blogs already out there and thousands of new ones are started every day and yet very few of them stand out from the crowd for the following reasons -

• 1. The content is weak
  
• 2. There blog designs do not catch readers attention

How can you Stand Out?

The main thing that leads to success is the content of a blog, if the posts are not worth reading, your readers will leave and never come back because what is a blog without valuable content…worthless.

What is the benefit of unique blog designs?

A well done and unique blog design will compliment your content and helps you to set the Trap Full of Awesome. Think of blog designs as the bait.

The Trap Full of Awesome

People are constantly overloaded with information on the internet and thus have the attention spans of a nine year old all hopped up on Pixie Sticks and chocolate milk. That is why you have to make an impression immediately or you will loose them. Colors schemes and images that make them stop and say “what is this?” then you hit them with your amazing content and a catchy title. It is a little like setting a trap for a wild animal only instead of eating or killing your readers you are giving them knowledge or entertaining them. So it is trap full of awesome! BUT if your trap does not have any awesome in it then your readers will get away. Amazing blog designs will only get you so far it is then your job to keep them coming back.

Getting Traffic to your Trap(blog)

As we all know from the discovery channel and common sense, setting a trap where there are no animals is stupid. So you need to get your trap onto a high traffic trail for it to do any good. (in case you are wondering we are still talking about your blog…I promise) Think of the trail as a keyword and traffic is the number of people searching for that keyword. Your awesome content will help you to rank better on search engines and using keyword research to find the high traffic keywords in your niche will help. Then all you have to do is move your trap ahead of all the other traps on that trail so you will get more traffic. There are many ways to do this and I have explained some of them in other posts (go take a look if you don’t believe me). The main things to focus on are SEO, Bookmarking, and Article Marketing. You should search engine optimize your posts for those keywords you found with keyword research. Then bookmarking your posts and article marketing will help you build strong back-links and bring in more traffic.

Recap

• Step 1: Write awesome content that people love and place it into the Trap (for those who skipped ahead the “trap” is your blog now go back and read the rest of the damn post!)
• Step 2: Bait the Trap with a unique and well done blog design.
• Step 3: Get traffic to your Trap by setting it on a high traffic trail
• Step 4: Move your trap ahead of all the other traps on that trail

I know this is not as easy as it sounds but if you keep at it you will get there. Just take it one step at a time.

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1. Stand Out from the Crowd

I you were starting an offline business you would not want your store to look the same as all the other stores. This is the same for blogs – you want customers or in blogging visitors and the best way to do that is to stand out from the crowd. With so many bloggers out there- if you don’t stand out then you will be passed over.

2. Create Buzz for Your Site

You will notice that whenever anyone gets a new design and it is well designed then they get a lot of attention. This is a great way to get people to notice you and to bring back some visitors you may have lost in the past.

It will also show that you care about your blogging enough to put some money into it and people like that.

3. Branding Yourself

All the big name bloggers have a brand associated with their name. What I have started to notice is that when people talk about bloggers they often talk about their layout especially their header images and logos. That is why I have designed my site the way I have. I have a memorable logo and a theme that is simple but still stands out. I want people to associate Victory Blog Designs with this sleek and simple yet memorable design.

4. Customized to your Needs

A blog template may work for you for a while but eventually you are going to want to be able to customize your site to your needs. With custom blog designs you can pick and choose the features that you do and don’t want. You can add an image slider, a stylized recent post box, or any number of other things that you want your blog to include.

5. Looks Professional

This is a big one for business blogs mostly but personal blogs can use it as well. If you have a business and you are trying to get the word out through blogging then you want to make sure your blog looks professional. You do not want people to come to your site and immediately think “this company does not look very professional I think I will take my business elsewhere.”  Your blog is a direct representation of your business online and you don’t want to give off the wrong impression. Let people know that you are professional and that you take your business seriously because this will instill trust in your prospects and customers.

So there are five reasons for getting custom blog designs and there are tons more but for now there you go. If you would like to see how just how little it will cost for you to look like a professional blogger then get your free custom blog design quote here. It doesn’t cost a thing and you may be surprised by the price.

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Blogs have increased popularity over this past months. Many people have discovered how easy it is to start a blog and share their thoughts and feelings. Many companies are also starting their own blogs to keep their customers informed on the latest news and products from their company.

This means that blogs are increasingly being used for internet marketing. All you used to be able to do for internet marketing was add banners and links to other sites and hope people clicked on them. Or just sending the link out to members of your companies mailing list. Now blog are becoming very popular and lots of people read them. People read their friend’s blogs, their favorite actor’s blogs, blogs about things that they are interested in, and product review blogs.

Many people look at blogs for product reviews. Some bloggers are paid to write good reviews but mostly blog writers just write about their actual experiences on products and services from a company. Since Blogs have become so popular they are a good medium to market a product. If you can increasing blog traffic you can increase your product sales.

You can increase your traffic by increasing your Google ranking for certain keywords or by getting your blog added to directories and search engines. You can also have your blog advertised in popular websites. This can get expensive though so it is not advised until you get some experience and your blog has more content. The thing to remember is that content and links are the two most important things for traffic. So just keep writing and ask other blogs in your field to trade links.

Once you have increased the traffic to your blog a little, you need to make sure that your content will keep them coming back and inspire them to recommend your blog to others. Just focus on your content, blog designs and layouts then the traffic will come and keep coming back. If you are not a great writer or you just don’t have the time you can acquire the services of a writer to help populate you blog with unique content.

Your blog designs and layouts have a large role in keeping visitors happy. While WordPress offers some great pre-selected templates, having a completely unique customized blog can increase your blog’s traffic.

So here are a few tips to make your blog designs stand out from the millions of blogs out there that have pre-selected templates.

A Customized Banner

Template banners are usually very boring and need some improvement to make them stand out. You can personalize the banner with any photo editing program my personal favorite is Adobe Photoshop. Or you can have us make you a custom header for your blog

Personalized Photos

Of course, most of the photos that you will be posting will be your own. However, if you don’t customize the photos before posting them, you may miss maximizing the enhancing benefits graphics can add to the page. Adding photo borders or textures can help the photo stand out from the pageand add to the blog design.

Personalize your Blog with Audio and Video

Audio and video add a personalized touch to your blog and it helps to keep your readers coming back. You can add personal video or audio recordings to mix up the way you present your materials. It keeps things interesting and many people would rather watch videos or listen to audio then read a long blog post.

Try using these tips and you can definitely increase and retain traffic on your blog.

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I have just recently been given my own category at Thesis Gallery and I am tied for the second Highest number of customizations. This is an awesome site if oyu like being able to see the power of Thesis and how many different ways there are to customize the theme. Bryan Thompson has put together a gallery of over 500 Thesis sites! This is amazing and the highest number of Thesis sites under one roof!

Here is the link to go check out my category and rate my sites!: Victory Blog Designs

Please go and rate my sites then come back here and let me know what you think of them. I am interested to see what site is your favorite and why.

The only way I can become a better designer is through your criticism so don’t hold back but if you could make it constructive that would be awesome!

Thank you everyone for your support.

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Here is a video interview between Nick Reese and Chris Pearson. They discuss Thesis, DIY Themes, Twitter and other things to look forward to in 2010. You can watch the interview below and see the original post at ART OF BLOG.

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The biggest challenge that most online business owners encounter, is finding internet marketing tactics that work. This is a big problem because in order for your business to succeed these days you almost have to have an online presence. One important thing to remember is that online marketing usually requires a lot of patience because finding the right tactics for your business can take a while.

Make it easy for your target visitors to read through the content on your blog by using contrasting colors for your background and text colors. Use animation in moderation because it can be distracting for your readers. Animations may not work on older browsers as well, this can make your site look jumbled and hard to read.

In order to keep your bounce rate down you need to make sure your blog is easy to navigate and enticing. If your blog  design is complicated, your target visitors will be deterred from sticking around and then you will loose sales.

Online marketing is not just about advertising , blog design is imperative especially if you want your target audience to recommend others to your blog.

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WordPress comes with some basic blog design templates or themes. Usually they are not bad, a little boring though. I always suggest giving your blog a custom look and feel but if you can’t afford it then at least I can help you make the best of what you can afford. I see a lot basic mistakes, and I want to help you avoid them.

1. About Me

This is a page that gets skipped over by so many bloggers or it is written like a resume. Once people start reading your blog and liking it they will want to know more about you. If they can’t find it then they loose connection with you and will not get as much out of your posts.

2. Easy to Find Contact Information

If people need to contact you they should be able to do it. You can be display your email as a graphic if you are worried about spammers. I suggest using a separate email address for your blog so that if you do end up getting lots of spam then at least it will not be in your primary email account.

Having your contact information available will let your readers know that you are a real person and when people can contact you directly it builds the bond of reader and blogger. This will keep them around a lot longer and that is a good thing.

You won’t be contacted all that often and when they do contact you it can be fun. It is always nice to talk with someone who is interested in your work. Besides if someone really wants your contact details they will find it.

3. Your Picture.

Your blog is a personal thing even if it is for your business and your readers will want to see you. It will also help you build trust with your readers. Don’t worry about how you look. Nobody cares!. As long as they like what you are reading they could care less what you look like. Also people tend to think you are hiding something if you won’t show your face.

4. Popular Posts.

Don’t bury your most popular posts in all your other less popular posts. You need to find ways to bring them back up. One popular way to do this is by creating a popular posts widget in your sidebar where you can add links to posts that have been read the most.

Some of the most successful bloggers do this as well. For example, Brian Clark at Copyblogger has a “Popular Articles” section in his sidebar and under that he lists his most popular blog posts. Yaro Starak, on his blog Entrepreneurs-Journey, calls his most popular blog posts “Popular Articles” and lists them at the very top.

5. A Beautiful Blog is Important

Stick to reasonable fonts so that people can read your blog posts easily. If you know any graphic designers have them take a quick look at or leave a comment below with a link and I can take a look. I can give you some quick tips if there is anything off about your blog.

The reason for this is that you and your friends are going to be partial toward your design and it helps to have someone who has experience look at it. Having a graphic designer take a quick look at it is good insurance.

6. Clean Sidebars.

Some blogs are just too busy, having up to three sidebars just crammed with tons of sh$&t. Most of it has no reason being there and people could care less about it. Keep it simple but have fun. Just be careful of clutter. Ask yourself if your readers will enjoy it before you add anything to your sidebars.

Most blog designs start with a basic template and then are customized over time. Hopefully these tips will help you with your blog design and bring you lots of visitors

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Professional blogger Yaro Starak discusses why blog designs do matter.

Entrepreneurs-Journey

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