Blogging

7 Effective Lead Magnets to Bring New Customers to Your Email List

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7 Effective lead magnets to bring new subscribers to your email list in 2021 by Stella Web Copywriting Services Montreal Canada

Want to grow your email list with an effective lead magnet? Want to give value to your dream clients so they gladly sign up to your newsletter? Then, you came to the right place. In this post you’ll find 7 effective lead magnets to bring new customers to your email list. Plus, you’ll learn what … Read more

How to Write Easy to Read Blog Posts —7 Copywriting Tips

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How to write easy to read blog posts with 7 proven copywriting tips

Looking to make your visitors actually read your blog posts? Then you need to simplify your web copy. In this post I’ll show you how to write easy-to-read blog posts with 7 proven copywriting tips. But first, some basics… Why You Need to Simplify Your Web Copy? Because when users land on a website, they … Read more

How to Do a SWOT Analysis for Your Blog [Free Template]

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How to do a SWOT Analysis for Your Blog Free Template by Stella Web STudio

Finding a way to stand out as a blogger in 2023 can be challenging. Given how easy it is to start a blog, the industry is now saturated. With so many established and new digital entrepreneurs, you may be wondering… “How can I compete with someone who’s already doing what I want to do?” “Will … Read more

What’s the difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.org

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What's the key difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.org

Are you ready to build your website with WordPress but are confused between the .com and the .org version? Don’t fret, in this post I will tell you what’s the difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.org.

Knowing the key differences between the two versions will save you time and money. Let’s get started!

As you may know WordPress is one of the most popular platforms for building websites. Its flexibility for design and functionality has no match. This is why it’s my #1 recommendation for my clients.

WordPress itself is free. But when choosing a hosting service, you can decide to either host it yourself (wordpress.org) or do it under their domain name (wordpress.com).

Here are the key differences:

What’s the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com.

  • With WordPress.com it’s them who host your site for free (though they also have paid plans). Creating a basic website is easy, but you have less flexibility to grow and monetize your site.

Your domain name will look like this: www.mycoolsite.wordpress.com

  • With WordPress.org you have to shop for a quality domain and hosting service. There’s a learning curve, but in the long run it’s more flexible for growing, customizing and monetizing your website. See wordpress.org

Your domain name will look like this: www.mycoolsite.com (personally, I think this looks more professional).

What's the difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.org

When to use WordPress.com

If you want to set up a basic website without the trouble of getting a hosting, and don’t want to grow or monetize it , then wordpress.com is right for you. Their free plan includes up to 3GB of data, a subdomain and includes wordpress.com ads.

But if eventually you want to grow it, add functionality and make business with it, then:

  • You have to pay a costly business plan that allows you to install plugins (for more functionality) or themes (to change your your site’s appearance).
  • You may need to hire someone to help you migrate from wordpress.com to your own hosting service.

When to use wordpress.org

If you want to grow your website through a blog, make business with it and have the flexibility to change its appearance, then using wordpress.org is the best choice.

Keep in mind though that there’s a learning curve and you have to shop around for quality hosting. But the investment in time and money is worth it. You’ll end up getting full control over your site.

To sum up

WordPress is a great platform for building websites. But when choosing between free or paid hosting, it’s best to think about your goals first.

If you need a basic website, the tech side overwhelms you, and you don’t want to grow or monetize it, then host it on wordpress.com.

But if you want to grow your site, monetize it and gain full control of it, then I recommend you to choose a quality hosting service an build it with wordpress.org.

That said, consider long term goals so you can choose the right version for your needs.

I hope you found this post useful. If you have any questions, feel free to ask away on the comment section below.

To your success, 🍷

Estela.

What Platform Should You use to Build Your Website?

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What platform should I use to build my website

Looking to build your own website in 2023, but there are so many options to pick from? I get you, this decision can be tricky.

Luckily, you came to the right place. In this post I’ll tell you the 3 most popular platforms for building websites, their pros and cons, and who are they best for.

Then, to wrap things up you can get a personalized recommendation through my free quiz.

Are you ready to choose the right platform to build your website? 😎

Let’s get started!

What are the 3 Most Popular Platforms for Building Websites?

What website builder should I use to build my website in 2023. Comparison of the 3 most popular website builders.

As of 2020, WordPress, Squarespace and Shopify are the 3 most popular website builders. Many successful websites have been built on them.

Keep in mind that if you’re looking to DIY, there’s going to be a learning curve. There will be a lot of things that you have to learn by yourself or to hire someone to help you out. The good news is that you can find online a lot of easy to use tools to help you set up a professional-looking website.

That said, before choosing a website builder make a careful assessment of your goals, budget, time and willingness to learn. Next, get informed on the pros and cons of each platform you’re considering.

To help you get started, I’ve prepared a list with all the details of the 3 most popular website builders mentioned here.

Let’s get started!

1. WordPress

What website platform should you use to build your website in 2023

WordPress is the industry standard for website platforms. Nowadays 36% of all the websites in the world are made with WordPress. Its user-friendly interface allows you to grow and customize your website however you’d like.

WordPress itself is free, but you will have to pay a third party for hosting. See What’s the key difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.org

That said, WordPress is my #1 recommendation to my clients because it offers the most flexibility for both design and functionality.

WordPress advantages:

  • Easy to install and upgrade;
  • inexpensive;
  • highly customizable with endless options for themes;
  • flexible to start a blog;
  • in constant development;
  • supported by a global community who publishes online free documentation. This is very helpful for solving technical issues;
  • thousands of available plugins (free and paid) for more functionality;
  • good for showing up on Google’s search results through SEO;
  • has specific themes available for podcasters and/or Youtubers.

WordPress cons:

  • Not an all-in-one option, which means you have to shop around for hosting and premium plugins;
  • requires more technical skills than either Squarespace or Shopify.

WordPress is ideal:

  • if you feel comfortable enough with technology to figure things out yourself;
  • if you want the ability to customize your design;
  • for bloggers, podcasters and freelancers.

Squarespace is a sleek all-in-one option for building and hosting your website. Its user-friendly platform allows you to create nice landing pages, a clear customer “journey map” and a professional, yet easy to maintain site.

2. Squarespace

Squarespace website builder

You can take a look at their Business plan for all pro users of Squarespace, which gives you unlimited (ish) pages and all of the features of Squarespace.

Squarespace advantages:

  • Easy to use;
  • has beautiful templates;
  • all-in-one option for domain, hosting, and design, allowing you to get up and running quickly;
  • includes options for eCommerce.

Squarespace cons:

  • More expensive than WordPress;
  • not fully customizable;
  • most templates are for setting up websites, not blogs;
  • not ideal for setting up podcasts.

Squarespace is ideal:

  • for brochure or information style websites.
  • if you want to go online as quickly as possible, and don’t want to be overwhelmed by options;
  • for beginners or anyone who feels intimidated by technology.

3. Shopify

What are the best website builders in 2023

If your main goal is to sell goods online, you can’t go wrong with Shopify. It is an easy-to-use eCommerce platform designed foremost to help you sell products and manage your inventory. It offers thousands of themes, most of them including the ability to add a blog.

There are a number of apps you can add to the system to improve the shopping experience for your customers. Many of Shopify’s features (such as auto-categorization of new items) can make large inventories easier to manage.

Shopify advantages:

  • Easy to use;
  • has lots of beautiful themes to choose from;
  • designed to showcase and sell your products (both physical and digital);
  • ecommerce options already built-in.

Shopify cons:

  • Expensive;
  • more focused on eCommerce than blogging;
  • extra paid apps & plugins used to add functionality can add up costs quickly.

IDEAL…

if you already have an inventory of products to sell.

What platform should you use to build your website?

Deciding to set up a website is a smart first step into building your online credibility. But when you’re in front of so many options, things can get tricky. Don’t fret! Remember to:

  • make a careful assessment of your goals, budget, willingness to learn ;
  • compare the top platforms for building websites which are WordPress, Squarespace and Shopify. For sure there many other options (free and paid) that you can check out in this guide.

I hope this article and my quiz help to take a better decision. If you have any questions send me an email.

What’s a Blog And How Can It Help to Grow Your Business

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What is a Blog How can it help to grow my business with 5 benefits

Nowadays it seems like everybody has a blog and you’re probably wondering if you should start one too. Either for personal or business purposes, blogging is a great way to share your expertise with the world and make money with it.

In this post I’ll explain what’s a blog, how can it help to grow your business, and where to start one. By the end of it, you can take my free quiz “Should I Start a Blog?” to find out it is right for you.

So, get yourself comfortable and let’s get started!

What is a blog and how does it work?

A blog is a frequently updated online journal where you can share with hundreds or thousands of readers your knowledge in a topic. It’s used to publish any form of content online to establish credibility, build rapport, and expand an audience.

It’s also known as content marketing and can take the form of written blog posts, videos, podcasts, social media, and email

In short, you can promote yourself, your passion or your business by blogging.

Who blogs?

Any person who wants to share her passion, thoughts, experiences or knowledge. Whereas a business uses a blog to create content related to their product or service. For example:

  • If you’re a person who is best known for being an expert in a topic (like cooking, fitness, or natural skincare), then blogging is a good way to work on that passion and monetize it.
  • If you own a business, then a blog can help to grow it and even create new sources of revenue.

That said, I’ll focus my next recommendations on those readers who want to blog for business.

Should I Start a Blog for My Business in 2020?

Absolutely! There has never been a better time to start an online business through a blog. Because of the deep changes the world is undergoing now, new needs and opportunities are emerging online.

By harnessing the power of content marketing, you can grow your current business or start a new one. As one of my favorite authors points out:

How Can a Blog Help to Grow Your Business (5 Benefits)

1) Be found by new targeted customers.

Every day millions of users look for answers online. And search engines like Google will prioritize those websites that provide useful and relevant information. So, the more useful content you create, the more pages from your blog will be indexed in a search engine.

In other words, by blogging regularly your business will show up more often in search results, increasing the chances of getting seen by your ideal clients.

2) Create authenticity

A blog is a platform where you can use your voice and unique perspective in a topic. It’s a space where your readers can connect with you in a more intimate way. They can see who you are, your brand’s voice, and how well you master a topic.

In short, a blog is a solid foundation for building trust and authority for your business.

3) Support your social media presence.

If you use social media, then you can lead your followers to your blog (hosted on a website) where they can learn more about you without the distraction of the competition.

Once your followers are on your blog, they can subscribe to it through an Email Marketing System and become potential clients.

4) Create authority.

By providing solutions to your customer’s problems through your content, they’ll see you as the subject expert in your industry.

6) Create new sources of income.

Besides supporting your current business, a blog can generate new sources of revenue from selling digital or physical products or services. And although some work is needed to set up a transactional website, it’s a long-term benefit worth the effort.

Where Can You Start a Blog?

If you want to start a blog for business and reap the benefits listed above, it’s best to set it up on a self-hosted website. My recommendation is to use WordPress.org as it’s the most flexible platform to grow and customize your site.

And if you want to blog as a hobby, you can quickly launch one for free either on social media (microblogging) or on WordPress.com. Just be sure that you don’t intend to monetize it in the future. Migrating your blog into a more robust platform is a complex task that may require help from a specialist.

Final recommendations

Check out these useful resources written by yours truly and other respected online experts.

I hope you found this article helpful. If you have any questions, you can send me an email. I’ll be happy to helpl