Contest is over. Congratulations Carlos!! (Entered on 10/24/2012 at 12:03am – had to clarify because there were two people named Carlos) Random.org chose your comment number and you won the contest! (For the record, I did not count multiple replies and those that did not follow the instructions. ) Thanks everyone for entering.
I love giveaways and promise to do more things like this on my blog in the near future.
As you may already know, I am using the Genesis Lifestyle Theme on this blog now.
I had been using it on other projects for awhile and was so happy with it, I decided to switch all my sites over to this theme.
Genesis is one of the most popular, premium themes today because it’s coded well (very clean), has a fair amount of customizations (including various column layouts), looks crisp and loads quickly.
The support is also superb, and they provide a useful getting-started guide if you’re new to WordPress and/or Genesis themes.
You can watch me customize the Genesis Lifestyle child theme in the video below…
Now, I’m going to give YOU the chance to win the Genesis theme and a child theme of your choice - an $80 value! (Of course, if you already own Genesis then you can still win a child theme of your choice.)
How to Win
Let’s make this easy. To enter, simply reply to this post. (If you’re reading this via email, click here to reply. Please do not reply via email.)
Tell me one thing you’d do differently if you could start your blog over today. And if you haven’t started your blog yet, tell me your biggest challenge with getting started so far.
I will use Random.org to choose a number. The comment number that corresponds to what I draw will be declared the winner. Be sure your email is correct (won’t be displayed) so I can send you the theme files if you win.
Contest ends Tuesday, October 30th at 11:59pm CT. Good luck!
Rules & Terms
- No purchase necessary to enter or win (I will purchase the theme for the winner)
- Only one entry per person (additional entries will be deleted and I will be checking emails and IP’s)
- One winner will be chosen using Random.org
- Contest ends Tuesday, October 30th at 11:59pm CT
- Entries that don’t follow the rules and requirements will be voided/removed
Hi, my name is 
I would start with an excellent hosting company instead of the cheap lame hosting company I started with. Quality dependable hosting with tech support that responds quickly is so important IMHO. You have to be able to handle traffic once you start getting some traction online.
markbrian,
What hosting company did you start with if you don’t mind me asking? How do you like using Media Temple for your dedicated hosting, do you find them reliable and to have good customer service?
I just might be lucky # 1 here. If I could start my blog over, I’m not sure I’d do anything differently. I find that so much is tied into my effort to connect with others. Perhaps choosing the niche sooner.
I’d have gotten to know you sooner if I could go way back, but thankful to discover you and get to know you when I did.
Hi,
Thanks for this opportunity. I would first like to say I considered replying to this because I am offering social media services to a family member and was mentioning to her about getting a premium theme for her business…and she was so clueless. Im not sure if this is the best theme for her but to answer the question…I would love to get my own blog started for my social media services. I have tried blogging in the past…and one thing I didnt do was stay consistent. This time around staying consistent is in my plan.
I look forward to seeing who wins, but if it is me, I will most likely give it away to my family member to run her business with.
Have a wonderful rest of the day!
Aleshia,
I also have found staying consistent to be my biggest challenge. Some days I just want to relax and unwind and work (after coming home from my day job) is the last thing on my mind. Do you have a website currently?
I did have one Http://www.buildingnicheincome.com but I started switching the niche websites to another host and was suppose to switch this one as well and things got really busy offline…including having a baby..and havent been back to it since…but I am currently working through facebook now offering social media services at http://www.facebook.com/SocializedContent
The one thing that I would do differently would be to equip myself with a wealth of information by researching how to build a blog that would provide what people need. I’ve learned over the years that in order to have a great blog, you have to write from the heart and the information you share with others has to be valuable and it must serve a need. Well written content is key; I know that now and I thank you, Lisa, for sharing all that you’ve learned with your audience.
Cynthia,
What do you do when you write to make the content valuable or from the heart? Is there a certain mood you have to be in or a certain music that you like to have playing? I’m still trying to discover the best way to draw people in and write content well.
Hi, Cynthia! Another important thing that a writer should do is to check its sources and be sure the information he shares is true. It’s not enough to write from the heart or open hot topics, you need to provide accurate information.
If I could start my blog over today, I would have chosen my domain name or even just my site’s name overall, wisely.
Peter,
What domain name would you like to have instead of your musicdnews.net?
Cool, great contest Lisa!
Ok, so the one thing that I’d do differently if I could start my blog over is… Well it took me a while to really become clear on my vision for my blog and narrow down my niche. So, if I could go back 7 years and start over from scratch I’d make sure that I knew the exact niche that I wanted to target and stick with it.
I’ve done so much hopping around over the years and I guess that’s a part of the territory when it comes to learning how to make money online, but as I’ve grown I see the extreme value in have a true targeted niche. And I wish I’d been clear on that when I started my first blog.
That would have tremendously cut out all the confusion for me, plus I would’ve began reaching out to my fellow bloggers much sooner.
Thanks for running this contest Lisa! This is going to really exciting!
Ti
Ti,
I feel the same way about hopping around trying different things. It seems one of the biggest challenges is to stick with a topic long enough to see it to maturity. What kinds of topics did you try over the years as you got into blogging? How did you get into Internet Marketing and is that your main passion?
Hi Jeremy,
Gosh, I can’t count how many times I”ve hopped around, lol. I first got introduced to the concept of making money online over 7 yrs ago (I was 19). It was affiliate marketing, I believe. I didn’t make any money with the program but ever since my introduction to IM, I’ve been hooked.
I’ve stuck with the make money online topic for the most part. Well, there was that one time I attempted to build a website about “college student loans” – #epicfail. Let’s see… Network marketing, Internet network marketing, mlm, and countless other “shiny object” programs, lol.
I’ve now found my home – Internet affiliate marketing , through blogging – focusing on the traffic generation niche. What a relief! Lol. I finally realized that in order to make any real money online I was going to have to pick a niche and stick with. And, I was also going to have to build a strong skill set. So I figured, what better skill set to build up than traffic generation? If you can get a consistent stream of traffic flowing in you’ll always be able to make money online (and have fun doing the split testing on the back end
).
Ultimately, I had to come back to my first love and passion which was pure internet/affiliate marketing. That’s what I first fell in love with online and that’s what I ended up sticking with. The idea of being able to just sit behind my computer, type, without having to personally talk to a thousand people, and still make tons of money is just too appealing to me not to pursue.
Thanks for asking. How about you?
Ti
Hi Lisa!
Well, I will try to create a unique logo for my blog, so as to give my blog a brand look for exposure and thus my blog logo will be my blog’s unique identity. Thanks
Regards
Nizam Khan
I would start building my list on day 1.
That’s something I’ve neglected to do almost 3 years and it was a grave mistake
I’d love to try Genesis; I still love Thesis but since version 2 I don’t feel as comfortable with my theme as I did before…
If I could start my blog over, I would first decide on the topic I want to focus on and stick with it.Then, I would make it my business to commit to a blogging schedule, regardless of hindrances. In the past I had a schedule and stuck with it, but have found myself being a bit stagnant and not consistent. I would research good topics to blog about, rather than just blogging about things that would not help many people.
Thank you Lisa for this opportunity. It has really gotten me to thinking about my blog and getting back into it.
~Sandra~
A contest eh? I currently use Thesis for lots of my sites, but I haven’t ventured to do 2.o yet, and Genesis is the other name is do-it-all themes, so, what the heck!
The thing I would do differently with my blog page is to find some consistent co-bloggers that could do one or two things each, and assign specific roles for each of us, versus having a few people try to write about anything/everything. That leads to a lack of congruency and a lack of specific responsibilities, which makes it easy for each of us to choose to write nothing. Sadface. So, as I move forward, I elect to assign/choose specific topics of responsibility for specific people.
pickmepickmepickme!!!!!!
I love this question!
If I were to start my blog over, I would wait until I had about 3,000 email subscribers from promoting a squeeze page. I would also pick a completely different domain name and check with a lawyer about the name to make sure it isn’t going to be an issue (I know 2 different people who lost a ton of money for skipping this step).
From there, I wouldn’t mess with building social profiles and focus solely on building my list. I’m only building my list and Twitter now so it wouldn’t be a big difference. I would also work on a premium coaching course to match the niche of my blog.
Speaking of niche, I would focus on a completely different one.
I would rather blog about health and fitness but keep my IM newsletter email only.
Thanks for the post! The site looks great!
-Gabe Johansson
If I could start over with my blog I would have chosen an Israeli domain and not an international one. Back then .co.il domains were expensive so I went for a .net domain, but now i wanted to make an English version of my blog, and moving my Hebrew one to an Israeli domain (in order to turn the .net domain to the English blog) is too risky for me since i’m rated high on google and don’t want to loose my ranking.
If I had to do one thing different, it’ll probably be starting the blog earlier in time. I got late into the game and wished that I had got into my niche a little earlier.
I haven’t started a blog yet, and the fault is all mine. Instead of taking time off to work on my website and portfolio, I’ve jumped from one client to the next (most of my business is word-of-mouth). The problem is I’m not on the higher end of the pay scale, so I need each and every one of these projects.
Thank you for having this give-away. I would love to win, and to learn more about the Genesis theme.
My regret in blogging is that I used my real name. Sometimes I want to vent, but have to bite my tongue in case there are prying eyes. I admire anonymous blogging at times.
I am just in the process of getting my blog going, and I think if I could “start over,” so to speak, I would have researched WordPress and premium themes, and tried to get up to speed on what all the ins and outs of having one’s own hosted domain even means. I have had such a steep learning curve, but sites like yours have helped tremendously.
Thanks for all the help you give!
Good Day to You Lisa,
I love your new theme!
Haven’t been to Website Babble for a while, but will be back.
I’m not sure exactly when because of purchasing hosting and domain(s) at WebsitePalace.com.
I’m kind of busy just getting started on my new static site/blog combination.
By the way Ti Roberts wanted me to let you know I found out about your give away from her.
I’ve started following both her and Ms Ileane. You’re still my number one mentor though!
Good luck with your marketing results from this!
My Best to You
Arth
I wish I wouldn’t have had all my eggs in one basket. I relied so heavily on one of my sites that when an algo changed dropped my traffic down from 700 hits a day to 70 it made a big impact on my financial life. I guess, the lesson you learn is don’t rely on your blog so much that if it happens to lose traffic drastically your not back to square one.
Lisa,
The one thing I would do differently is to not rely on Google as much for traffic. With all of the algorithm changes you can go crazy trying to figure out Panda’s and Penguin’s.
Instead, I would focus completely on quality content and writing for my visitor…not a robot. This would have made life far more enjoyable than counting up keywords.
Hi Lisa
I have been working on getting my blog off the ground since July. I just posted my first post(besides my Hello World! post) today.
I wish I had spent more time figuring out my niche market. I have it figured out now, but part of the reason it has taken me so long to launch my blog is because I did not have a clearly defined niche market when I purchased my blog domain name, so I struggled with how to tie it in with the niche market I finally settled on.
Thanks for the opportunity and thanks for all the wonderful information that you share with the internet community.
Ack, I just realized I am probably going to mess up your contest and your ability to count these comments by chatting with others and trying to get to know them. Is there a way you can remove this comment and my replies Lisa and I didn’t realize this until after about 5 of my reply comments. Really sorry about that.
Don’t worry. I’ll just go thru and only count the first post from everyone. Others have done that too. So I’ll have to do that just to make it fair. No biggie.
Hello Lisa! I threw together a hair blog not really trying to do anything but document my journey. I’ve since decided to followup on an idea I’ve carried around for awhile and will have my new blog up soon. I just let life stand in the way for much too long….but I’m ready now! I hope I win, it will be right on time for me
I would have been more consistent with managing my time better. I gave up the first time when the going got rough…only to start again 1 year later. I would have been so much farther down the road and probably experiencing some success now if I had been more faithful to myself by being faithful to the goals I had set.
Dear Lisa,
If there’s anything that I deeply regret is that i started blogging on Forex trading with my first blog. I never knew that Adsense and many more good Ads networks dread approval of Forex trading blogs until when I have spent so much and so much that I could not change anything about the experience. Is not that there’s anything wrong blogging about Forex trading but the issue is that,as a matter of policy most Ads networks don’t want to identify with bloggers that blog about Forex trading thereby making life very very difficult for such bloggers as they can’t monitize their blogs with the big money Ads networks. Very painful. If i had started with a blogg on health issues first then I could have seen enough money to blog about health issues, Forex trading and so on but today I can’t really do that cause the money to embark on another blogg is no where to be found. Thank you.
I would focus on an topic in which I’m really, really interested about and I really enjoy. Trying to make money on a subject you don’t love, is difficult, boring and frustrating.
Congrats Carlos! You won!! I will be emailing you to find out your choice of theme.
Wow Lisa, thank you so much! This is awesome!. I just sent you an e-mail with my candidates. Thank again for such a nice gift!
I would start day one full bore publishing high quality content on a regular basis with the goal of market leadership, instead of planning meticulously from an SEO perspective (and then ultimately relying heavily on search traffic). Making leadership the goal through high quality content is the best way to get a spread of traffic sources and generate long term stability (your quality content never get’s hit by other people’s algorithms).
I would start 2006 instead of 2010. 2006 was the first time I came to know that it was possible to make living online.
Well Lisa if I would launch my new blog today I will first write bunch of guest Posts that will help me to get decent amount of audience fast.
I intend on doing a total revamp in 2013. It won’t be a complete start over but I intend on doing some things very differently. I have a lot of free information on my blog that is taking away my ability to sell a product. I need to cut down what I give away for free. Some of my free content will remain, but many of my best tutorials will be put in an e-book or made into DIY kits for sale on my Etsy site.
Spend more time working and not so much learning. The problem with the Web is there is so00000000 very much to learn/know. Being something of a perfectionist and wanting to do everything “just right” tends to tie me into knots. I still haven’t learned JavaScript/JQuery/WordPress or PHP, but I am something of an expert on HTML/CSS and Photoshop, but there is nothing out there to show – so what good does it do me. Oh, well. Just my 2 cents.
If I could do it all over again, I would find a way to purchase a really good theme. I have bought several but I am unhappy with all of them for some reason or other. But how can you know when you are new and on a budget?
I wouldn’t start my blog over again, but I do start new blogs all the time, and I’d also focus on squeeze landing pages and building my lists…
I think the most important thing I would do differently is prioritize. I have been working on a WordPress static website for my dance studio so it may not be the same as most of your other followers. It took me a while to realize the difference between a static site and a blog, and it has actually been much more difficult to find info on creating static sites, even on your site. There is so much information that has to go up on my site, sometimes I found it overwhelming to try and tackle everything at once. It probably wouldn’t be as important to an experienced blogger, because they pretty much have an idea of where and how to input and store their information. But as a first time blogger it has definitely been a challenge to try and organize and prioritize all of the info I want to put up on my site. Great contest idea, and thank you for all of the amazing info and videos you have on your site!!! You have definitely helped me survive as a first time website designer.
Hi
Good idea for a competition Lisa,
The problem I am having when starting a new site is getting quality images, and banner designs at affordable prices.
Hi Lisa!
If I would start again, I would pay someone else to design my site. I find It takes up far too much time when I concentrate on the technical side of blogging.
Content and videos are key.
Thanks for your inspiration!
Vaughan
Well…if i’d start a blog first of all i’d choose a topic that i like and i’d love to write about it. Then i’d choose the best framework there is (Genesis
) and start designing my blog. Thne i’ll just focus on creating good quality content, because users and money will come with that. And some SEO would be nice as well. 
I would after planning the structure and key words, set up a schedule to work DAILY on the content of my site. Have a plan of action. If I plan to write an E-book, I will work on it daily as well.
Lisa, I don’t have a solid blog right now and it’s my wish to have one soon. My biggest challenge, thou, is market research and segmentation. Why is this so important to me? Well, as you know, the web is so saturated with information. If I can master the art of niche refining and positioning, I did make a killer blog that is very targeted to its audience. If I can be able to properly research a profitable, target market and know its needs, problems, concerns intimately, it would be easier to offer direct solutions. This will build genuine followers or fans who will religiously subscribe to my content to grow my list.
I would have definitely chosen a more functional theme. I went through three before settling on the theme that I have now. I do like the look and feel of Genesis, but I think it is a little restrictive as it pertains to media and entertainment. I haven’t seen a media/movie site that uses the Genesis framework. If there is one, I would really like to see it in action! One other really big mistake I made was going with cheap hosting that had really bad customer service. I lost an entire starter site because of it.
Hey,
Great contest Lisa!
That is a cool opportunity for the newbies. Its fun and the question sends a creativity race in the minds of any person reading it. The themes you have talked about interests me.
If i could start over a blog today I would do it with utmost caution! I would try not to leave any loop holes and learn from my experiences and reading. I would use personal and social means to gain it popularity and handle the stuff with consistency.
This contest will surely help novices to start over.
regards,
sanjib
If I had to start again I would choose a niche and a premium theme.
I stopped updating my blog when I was heavily pregnant with my first child, and now, ten months later (and pregnant again!) I still haven’t been at it yet. I don’t seem to have the clear mind necessary for it these days, which is a pity because I feel I have so many things to say on pregnancy, motherhood and fitness, as these are the recurrent themes in my life nowadays. I think I just need a gentle nudge, maybe a new theme will do the trick? I would love to give my blog a more professional look and start offering more training/running advice to pregnant ladies and new moms out there!
I would have used a premium theme like Genesis from the start. I already use Genesis on my sites–I am using Prose because I LOVE it. I wasted so much time in the beginning trying to customize other themes to look the way that I wanted. I got Prose and had the website I wanted in 30 minutes.
In my experience, the theme you choose is a very important decision. I always advise people to go with Genesis. I have never needed help with Prose because it is so easy to customize. Anyone can do it. So I just wanted to second your recommendation of Genesis.
It’s interesting to see how you’ve used the Lifestyle theme and how you customized it.
There are just a few things I would have done differently. First of all, I would not have hosted my site on a Windows server at my host. I later moved to cloud hosting under Linux and find that support for WordPress is much better. The second thing is that I would have implement stronger security controls. And the last thing is that I would have automated my backup a lot sooner. Not that I have had issues, mind you, but for peace of mind.
– Gaye
Well I may as well throw my hat into the ring.
I had a blog about 10 years ago and it died; or I died…LOL…
I wish I had kept it going and then I would be right on trend with the subject. Without having a clue, I had lots of traffic. I was doing “long tail” before it was popular.
Fast forward a few years. I started skipping around and trying different things and researching myself into a dark hole.
I’ve come to realize that the best subject is one that reflects your values and interests. The niche within that market is a problem begging for support or a solution.
I also learned that there is no “perfection” on the web. It isn’t static enough to demand such. As soon as you think you know something, it will change. You may as well start with what you know and adjust later.
I see internet work as being a “creative” endeavor as well as a science. It’s key for you to retain your voice yet know when to seek help.
Thank you for this opportunity.
One thing I would do different if I am to start my blog over today is to focus on a niche. That is build my blog on a particular niche. Instead of having a single blog, I would have created several blogs.
Forgive me to add another. If I am to do something else different, I would have created my blog on a custom domain name and host it in a reputable web hosting company, instead of free free domain name and free domain hosting.
Thanks for creating this contest Lisa. I used to love Thesis but was utterly disappointed with Thesis 2.0. They make it sound so easy to use 2.0 but so far I don’t see any easy path to upgrade my site from 1.8.5, so I’m looking at Genesis.
I suppose one thing I would have done differently if I started my blog today would be to choose a shorter domain name. I opted for an exact match domain that is quite long and I am finding it hard to build “brand recall” around it. Another thing, with Google’s EMD algo update, I’m kinda worried I might get hit although I’m pretty confident with the quality of the content we have.
Thanks Lisa!
My blog/site is still under construction. As a matter of fact so far, I’ve only registered the domain name.
My challenge is creating content that doesn’t necessarily make me look smart but instead, translates what I feel about the subject in a way that people can relate to and understand what the heck I’m talking about.
I believe that it’s not about how smart you are but how well you communicate.
Thanks Lisa!
One thing I would do differently is start with a clear plan in mind, as to the direction and, even more importantly, the branding of my blog. That being said, I still have no clear idea how I want to brand it, so I suppose if I had done that part differently, I would be sitting here today without a blog.
I also wish I had taken more pictures when traveling, since I have a travel blog and find myself having to search Flickr for creative commons images more often than I would like.
I don’t know if I would do anything differently. I’ve just started my blog about two months ago, with a lot of research and writing done in advance. I don’t know yet if I’m doing well, but I hope so:)
What I do wish I had done, is keep notes from trips way before I started my blog. Taht way I’d have more detailed content.
My biggest challenge, which I’m still struggling with, is figuring out a clear branding for my blog that isn’t the same as so many others and still addresses the needs of my market. I can’t really focus on blogging if I don’t have my target market and their needs pinned down.
Hello Lisa
Thank you for such a generous offer. I have a site, but I am not happy with it. There are some errors that I made on it and I do not know how to fix them. I would love a site like yours, but of course what we write is totally different. I should hire someone to help me…
Again, Lisa thank you for your kind heart.
If I could start over one of my other blogs (htcwildfiresblog) I would have built an email list, not just a feedburner list…I got hit by the Google EMD update although I have backlinks from amazon, youtube, wikipedia etc. and my traffic has dropped significantly although my feedburner subscriber list is helping me generate a small revenue still.
Quite simple,
I would have used the Genesis theme from day one..Doh
I would not have tried to build traffic and content for both a blog AND a static website…at the same time.
That FIRST step, That GIANT step, that DECIDING leap into ACTION ! That is what bothers me. You know, I own 17 domains, both general and product specific (killed now by Google EMD), which still lie ‘undeveloped’ or ‘under developed’. My pocket has a hole, LOL !
I would use a quality theme and write quality articles about my passion using a combination of static and blog pages/posts.
I would have done more planning. I would have carefully decided exactly what audience I would be targeting, why that audience wants to read my blog and how my blog is different from every other blog out there on the internet. I would have also defined a clear picture of what I wanted my site to grow into, and defined my blog based on an AUDIENCE, not a TOPIC. If I had defined all this beforehand, I wouldn’t have had to waste time developing it as I went along.
I have not started a blog yet. The biggest challenge is creating my website.
Hmm – can’t resist entering – there are a number of things I’d change if I could start over.
For starters, I wish I hadn’t started off in the “link building” and article-spinning circles like I did (though it worked, it was temporary thanks to Penguin); I still have a load of content out there promoting methods that Google has adapted to and would like to start “clean.”
Another thing I’d do much differently: focus on lead capture and email marketing. It’s Google-proof and I still don’t do that very well – mostly because of the changes in Google and what my content in my auto-responder was promoting (old SEO methods that could cause penalties): so now I’m at a stand-still with my list.
Since I’m bad at math, I’ll add a third point of what I’d change: the SEO on my blog. It’s terrible, ironically – but I learned a ton being in this industry. Now I’m too lazy to change it (shame on me).
Can I add a 4th? I’d switch to the Genesis theme in a heartbeat – but again here it’s hard to change, the theme I’m using has a lot of style code that wouldn’t render in any other theme: so changing is daunting.
I would add a 5th along the lines of “keeping a B2B service” running, because generating leads doesn’t happen overnight – but I won’t do that.
Thank you a ton !
I’m in the process of (re)starting my personal blog. I’ve been using Thesis theme for years, but with the 2.0 version I’m really disappointed. Might give Genesis a go. Anyhow, what I’d change or will change is better permalink structure and better usage of keywords.
I’m an absolute novice at coding with next to no knowledge of HTML at all. Your video presents a fairly simply process on how I can use Genesis. Will you do more in the future or is this a one-off? Either way, I’m bookmarking your page and maybe try to win that Genesis theme.
Hi,
Its a win win contest and i love the theme concept that you are going to provide. Its so much fun being a part of it. Its innovative to know about it.:)
If i had to start today I would like to design a copyright theme for my blog and use it differently for different posts. It would be so different in my opinion. I would even sell it to the people who add maximum to my traffic.
Thanks for this great contest Lisa!
The things that I would do differently if starting over would definitely be to use wordpress.org rather than .com It is actually really frustrating because I did lots of research and I paid for my domain name, but I hadn’t realised that there were two different companies. I am now in the process of transferring. But this was mainly a test blog so it’s a great learning curve. This also had an adverse affect on my consistency when I realized my mistake, I lost interest slightly and began focusing on my new site that I am building with SBI (thank you again Lisa!) but all is well.
Good luck everyone!
I would love to have a copy of genesis to work woth. Like it and nice layouts as well
cool twiter links as well
Hi Lisa
I low contests too and will love to win the Genesis theme. If I should start my blog over today I would get a better domain name with some good keywords and I would get a .net or a .com domain. Today I have a .dk (Denmark) domain and that is not the smartest thing when I want global traffic. I know I can still make the change, but it seems a bit scary to make the move for a new domain.
Hey Lisa, I am officially addicted to the Lifestyle theme, you know it, girl
What would I do differently?! I would focus more on step by step basics without trying too many new things at the same time. I wasted a lot of time in the process because of that (although I blame the fact that I am totally ADHD). I would focus on what I know works (and I knew it then, I just could not focus on anything). Starting from zero, following steps that we know work, focusing on one niche at the time – that is what I would do differently!
I would have spend more time on the design and content strategy of my website. I am planning a major redesign in th enext few months that will address that issue.
I would probably have more static info from the word go (isuue just addressed:) ).
Probably I would go for a mostly static home page as well, as opposed to the standard blogging homepage I have now.
Great question and contest Lisa,
I am actually just about to start my blog so this couldn’t have come at a better time. Focusing on a tight niche is what I intend to do differently this time around. We all have this fear that if we niche too tightly, we won’t have anything to talk about it. It’s ironic that a tight niche is what actually gives you the opportunity to branch out down the road…
Great contest, Lisa
I think my reason for start my blog is i feel interest about passive income. I am focusing on affiliate marketing, and result is good
Hi Lisa,
I don’t have any website yet but of course, I’m planning to have one in the not so far future…
Hmmm… I think the biggest challenge that I will have is to know how to create great contents that would provide the correct value for people. Because I always believe that if the value that you present to people is equal to the value that they’re looking for, you can make them do anything… you don’t have to constantly push them in your Most Wanted Response
Hi Lovely Lisa,
My first website blog is still under construction.
I could be a bit more patient, realise I do not need to get it right straight away.
Watch, read, learn make mistakes (the best way to learn). And enjoy the Learning curve.
Spend some time to find out what I really enjoy doing – cos it not just about the money
have just discovered your vid with the Letter form JR- hit home, good timing for me.
Fingers Crossed….
Good Afternon Lisa!
What I would do differently is to take my time about learning how to design various WordPress sites. Listen to great gurus such as you Lisa. Make it a point to put my work site out there so people will know about it.
I’ll choose a different cms, and a more serious hosting company!!
Trying a lot of SEO stuff and link building to get my website visits higher. However, the site pages are not 100 percent finished yet.
I haven’t started a blog yet.
I”m still having a hard time choosing a topic and sticking with it.
I keep deciding, writing posts, and thinking it’s not good enough and trying again.
In the process of switching this older wp version to studiopress / agentpress theme (just have to import my existing pages/posts to http://bocaratonrealestate.isabellascott.com), and add some more to content (my problem is I don’t post consistently and make them too long (which is why I am not consistent
. So far this is luxury market focused but I know I should set up niches, – so I guess that is what I need to focus on after I get this one running, and therefore set up some more sites! I also did like the lifestyle theme when I was reviewing the child themes.
I would focus on getting the blog going on WordPress before integrating it with other systems. And have plenty of posts before moving on.
I would love to have a big list of good blogs to get started.
But one of the most important things to do, is just to start writing.
You will learn by writing. You’re content will get better with time.
The one thing I would do differently is to host my blog not use the “free” hosting services of Blogger and WordPress.com . That’s because as great as it sounds to have everything for free somethings are just worth paying for and a host account is one of those things. The freedom you have to promote your blog as well as the ability to use any add ins you may want to are both possible when you host your blog on a paid provider. So considering the low cost of many of the hosting providers out there don’t try to save those few dollars and you won’t be sorry.
if i could start my blog over today, i would start it with the “wordpress” platform, instead of “blogger”. wordpress is more customizable and lookes more professional.
I would start with a design I love, on WordPress, with some knowledge of SEO.
If I would start my blog all over again I would buy a domain name from another site but will still use HostGator as my web host. Then I would get all the tips from you Lisa to guide me in my quest to be a famous blogger just like you!
I think i will first keep it down on the craze to get things up and running online without the necessary sensibilities because i have realised that content and traffic for profitability is very important. It is also good to have a mentor like you too to help one bypass some foolish things. My frustration at the moment is that i want to learn how to build my site from scratch but it has been very encumbering. Not giving up though
I bought the whole suite of themes for their bundled price and I am very happy with them. I do actually use 4-5 different ones on various project sites right now but I will probably do the same thing as you, which makes it a bit faster to set up and admin because they are, well all the same.
I do recommend anyone looking for a high quality theme to check it out!
I was sure that I would win this one
Congratulation to Carlos
Thomas if you was sure you would win, me, I thought I had won…
Anyways, that’s the way it is….
Congrats namesake !!
You came close. You had the right name, wrong comment number. LOL!
LOL, maybe next time.
Hi Lisa and thanks for this contest that I hope to win!
I work on website for over 10 years and today I discovered your site that I liked a lot and definitely will visit often. In the life never stop learning and on the web this is very true!
Hi Rino
As stated at the top, the contest is over. Hopefully you can enter next time!
Hi all,
Talking about Studiopress Child Themes – I have a question. Can anyone who has a lot of experience with their child themes help me please? Studiopress support may be very good if you are an experienced developer. I own the Lifestyle, Associate and Agency themes. Can anybody who has experience with their range of themes advise me which would be – in general – more “user friendly” for absolute newbies like me? Studiopress used to be very good a year ago as their moderators would actually tell you and send you a copy and paste of how to fix anything. Nowdays they don’t and it seems as though they have decided to give cryptic answers and make you go and look for the info.
Maybe they dont want to grow their market of newbies? Wish I had that luxury. Sorry Lisa – just venting – youre the best!:-)
My choice is Lifestyle
It’s more friendly and much easy to use. But it depends on your niche too. If you are running a health website, Lifestyle is definitely my top recommendation. However, if you want to build a business website, I suggest using Agency.
I own Lifestyle, Agency and Associate. I like Lifestyle too but I think that some of the newer child themes might be slightly easier to customize. Someone told me that Agency was difficult to customize:-)
My problem is that I don’t know enough to know what to look for and I’m still trying to “digest” the basics of HTML and CSS!
This i8s going to be a site marketing hiking/walking tours in Europe.
Hey Lisa and her readers,
I just recently started blogging about my experiences building niche websites. From building these site, I would have to conclude that wishing to have done things differently in the past is denying the fact that every mistake and every piece of bad judgment are part of something bigger. The time it took me to get my first three sites ready to generate steady income was about half a year, while the last site was making sales within two weeks. There is only one way to find out what works, and what doesn’t. That way is trying everything.
Only recently I have given up spending my time on building static websites and now I only write articles for living discussions, blogs and informative purposes. My goal isn’t to have my blog looking neat or making money anytime soon, and I don’t intend to read about what sells or what SEO works and what doesn’t. I know that starting from scratch and looking at the reaction you get from every action you take will teach me how manage a stable and interactive blog on the long term.
Please tell me what you think about this, and if you think there is a way to incorporate other peoples methods (which can be the only way to go if you resent your own methods in the past) without losing authenticity that you need to be able to run your OWN blog or site.
Yours,
René
When will you do next contest?
Hi Lisa,
I have been a big fan of your website, blog and forum. I would love to get this genesis forum on my website. Thanks for being so generous. And keep up the good work .
our offer is indeed a great bonus for some
I use the Thesis theme and find the Genesis Framework which I also have in my dashboard far more limited in its customisation possibilities
First you need to understand html far more with Genesis
Though I must admit it is better than a free WordPress tgheme
Hello Lisa,
Thank you for allowing us to share what we would do differently.
1) I would have done more research on the differences between a static website vs. a blog. I did not understand the differences and when I designed my first web. I used the blogging format and I was confused when all of the new content I posted kept moving instead of staying in one place. It wasn’t until I watched your video on how to make the switch did I understand why I was having that problem.
2) I would have bought a book or a guide instead of solely relying on the internet. When people talk about WordPress they make it seem like it’s a magic wand and all you have to do is say poof and the site is done. There is a lot more to it than that.
3) My first site I tried to create using the free theme, but I wanted it to have a flashing header, pictures moving in and out and I didn’t understand how ANY of that worked. I thought you just plug and go. I spent almost a week trying to figure out how to make a header. I was doing it by going to forums but I didn’t realize it would take longer than a few days.
4) I would have planned my content more effectively. I would have tried to make sure that I set ups some type of free content so people would come to my site for more than just info about my summer camp.
5) I would have read the manual. I mean, I really didn’t read much of anything before I started.
6) I would have planned more time. I thought it was like a blog where you can just punch and go. I didn’t know that websites required time.
Thanks for your guides. If you look at my current site I am not using wordpress right now. I am still working behind the scenes with Instant WP. I just needed to keep something up so I can be presentable.
Although the time is over to reply this blog post, but I will do these two things differently:
1-I will chose blog name very carefully.
2-I will give considerable time to design a blog and try it to be completed at the time of launch.
Really Missed an awesome Giveaway! If i want to start a blog i will select a Great Domain and a Good Web Hosting Service because domain is the center of internet identity. Later on we can concentrate on design and other things
You should have another giveaway ASAP
I’m having one now. You must not have checked the latest posts.