How to export or import a template in blogger

Blogger is an excellent platform to share your thoughts, educate people and share your experience. You interact with people, know their responses and make new friends. One thing that is most prominent on your blog is the blog design. If you have a user friendly blog then everyone would love to subscribe to your blog.

How to backup/restore a template in Blogger

Many online templates are available to make your design awesome but how to install them or how to backup them is the question asked on many platform. I have also shared a nice collection of blogger templates. If you want to backup or restore a blogger template then here is a quick step by step tutorial for you.

Must read: How to add Css code in blogger

Adding a new Blogger template:

To add a template in blogger, you need the xml file and a blogger account.

1. Sign in to your blogger account and go to

Template ==> Backup/restore

2. Click on browse and choose xml file provided in the blogger template.

3. After choosing, click on upload and wait for some time.
4. When it says successfully uploaded means your new template is applied, you can see the changes by clicking the preview button.

Creating a backup of blogger template

It is necessary to keep at least one backup of your blogger template. This backup can be used to restore a template if something goes wrong with your template while editing. Creating a backup is really easy. Template is exported as a XML file. 

1. Same as above

2. Click on "Download full template"

3. Save your template at your desired location, usually it is downloaded in C:\...Download

You may also like: Verify Blogspot blogs in Google webmaster tools

Don't forget to make a backup of your blogger template. If you find any problem, feel free to ask me.

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10 tips to increase your email subscribers

If you want to keep a record of your loyal reader then start building an email list of them. The more people you are having in your email list, the more readers you are going to get and finally more shares and likes for your content or product.

Emails are permanent source of traffic as they are the most read thing on internet even more than social media websites. So having an email list is crucial for every online business and marketer.

Ways to improve your email marketing campaign:

You have sign up for some email service provider and setup an opt-in form on your website. Everything is done and you are waiting for the people to subscribe but your daily subscription are limited to 1 or 2. If this is the case then everything is not done properly.

Like many other people on internet who are doing email marketing but results are zero, here are some quick ways to increase your email subscribers.

You may also like: Stylish email subscription widgets for Blogger

1. Email subscription box on your Home page

Most people are going to see your home page after finding your website through search results and if you are intelligent enough then you can place a simple subscription box at the top with some call to action.

2. Have one in your sidebar

If you don't want to add one on your home page then here is an option for you. Add a simple subscription box in the side bar as you can see in this blog. This will help you to get more subscribers from every page of your website.

Clearly display email subscription box and try to place it above the fold. Clearly display your call to action and give your best reason for subscription. One can also add feed and social media links to increase social media subscribers.

3. Place subscription form within the post 

Many marketers are using this technique and the results are awesome. Find the most popular pages of your website (Consult your analytics) and place these forms with a professional message above them.

Don't forget to add it in your About page as it is the best place for it.  

4. Use two step opt-in process

Currently this opt-in process is provided by ever ESP. In this process first you present a simple button with a message like "Click to subscribe" and when a reader click on that button, another window opens with subscription form. 

This method is really successful as the reader clicking the button is already providing a positive signal and when he see a subscription form on the next window, he happily enters his email address.

5. Tell them the numbers

One can add total number of subscribers to show that what that person is losing. Like you can write this message above the subscription box,

"Be a part of over 5000 daily subscriber's community. Simply click below and get whatever you are missing".

6. Offer something special

If you have something to provide for free then use it to increase your email subscribers. Make a popup form which will redirect your user to something free like a free tool or a free eBook. People will more than happy to subscribe if they get something free with just a simple subscription.

7. Say Thank you

Create a custom page with a thank you note. This method can also be used with the above step as providing something free and then saying "Thanks for your subscription" will make your subscriber emotional :)

You can also use social media gadgets on these pages to increase your social media subscribers.

8. Welcome them warmly in first email

This step is just to increase your interest. Almost every ESP provider allows to add a custom first message so choose it carefully. Welcome your reader and introduce them to your blog. Try to create a humanly relation, ask their problems or appreciate their suggestion.

9. Run a contest

I have seen many people using this trick. Like they introduce a contest on their social media pages and then define a process to win the contest. And the first step in this defined process email subscription form. This helps them to get many email subscribers and cross promote their blog to other people. 

10. Guest posting

This can be a good source of traffic as well as can help you to increase your email subscription. Use related blogs to do guest posting and add a link to your social media profile and subscription form for your own blog. 

Up to you

These 10 steps can make your email marketing campaign really effective so use all of them and don't forget to share your experience about this post.

In the last if you like it then share it across every platform.

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5 top advertising networks for publishers 2014

There are many ways to earn money with a website if it has good number of visitors. One can do affiliate marketing, write paid reviews or by selling direct advertisement but if any one of these is not possible for you then monitoring your blog with advertising networks is the best option for you. 

People come in blogging with the concept that it is really easy to make money with blogging but it's not true. Continuous hard-work is required to make a website worthy enough to earn from it.

Best ad networks for 2014

You will find many ad networks on internet which offer advertisements but many of them are scam. So selecting one which will really pay you, is a difficult job. I have already written a series on Best Adsense alternatives and in this post i am going to share th
e best advertising networks list for publishers.

1. Adsense the best advertising network

You will always find Adsense at the top in the advertising network list because they are the best in the industry. Adsense is the best display advertising network which allows publisher to earn money by displaying ads on their blogs, videos or by adding search engine.

Getting an approved account of adsense is really a dream coming true because they are very strict in their policies and will only approve your website if it is good in design, content and user experience.
 
Some features:

Ad types: Text, image, rich media, flash, link units
Payment methods: Wire, check, western union 
Minimum Payout:  $100
Official links: http://www.google.com/adsense/start/

Must read: Best Adsense alternatives

2. Buy sell ads

If you want to make huge money from your blog then buysellads is the best option for you. Buysellad advertising network allows you to make money from your website by selling space of advertisement. It is very big network of advertisers who are seeking websites related to their products. 

To get approved, you need to register by filling some details about yourself and your website through their.sign up pag.

Some features:

Ad types: Graphical banners of different sizes
Payment methods: PayPal, bank transfer, wire transaction 
Minimum Payout:  20$ for PayPal, $50 for bank transfer, $500 for wire transfer
Official links: http://support.buysellads.com/help_center

Must read: Tips to make user friendly websites

3. Media.net

A joint venture of yahoo and bing also known as Yahoo bing ad network, is one of the most popular advertising network. Their simple implementation and customizing options makes them different from others.

Some features:

Ad types: Display
Payment methods: Wire, PayPal
Minimum Payout:  $100
Official links: http://contextualads.yahoo.net/features.php

Must read: 5 tips to improve domain authority

4. Infloinks 

Founded in 2011, Infolinks has become the choice of many publishers because of their in-text ads and their smart design. They offer really smart ads which do not mess your blog. You should have minimum traffic as per their requirement and approval is easy to get even for small publishers. 

Some features:

 

Ad types: Display, in text
Payment methods: ACH Transfer, eCheck, Payoneer, Paypal, Western Union
Minimum Payout:  $50
Official links: http://www.infolinks.com/support

5. Chitika 

With a network 300,000 publisher, chitika is one of the best advertising network. Their accurate analytics system made them different from others. Their ads can be used along with other ad networks. 

It is really easy to get approval from chitika and code implementation is also very easy. Although their payment is not comparable with adsense but still it is a good alternative for adsense. 

Some features:

 

Ad types: Display, in text
Payment methods: Check, PayPal
Minimum Payout:  $10
Official links: http://support.chitika.com/

What next :

Go find your suitable network and apply for it. I suggest you to apply for all of these advertising networks. Test them all and find that network which is suitable for you. If you have some query or find something difficult, you can contact me.

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How to add css code easily in blogger templates

It is really difficult to customize a blogger template if you are a beginner or don't have any technical skills. Blogger uses XML as its core language with CSS as its design code. Css code helps you to customize the design and layout of your website. You can adjust the location, size, colors, fonts and much more with simple Css code.

If you find it difficult to add or edit a css code then here is a simple option for you to add css code easily in blogger template.

Methods for adding CSS codes in blogger template:

There are two methods to add css code in blogger. First method is easy and fast while the second method is a little tricky and recommende

d for experts. But before doing any kind of editing, don't forget to back up your recent blogger template.

To create a backup of blogger template, simply go to Blogger template tab and press on Backup/restore button and click on "Download full template" to get your backup.

Adding CSS using Template designer:

If you are a newbie or don't have knowledge about designing languages then this method is for you but the only condition is that you should have the Css code along with you. This method allows you to see the changes with the change in code.

• Go to your blogger dashboard and go to Template ==> Customize

• Here you will see your blog preview along with a list of tools. These all tools are available to customize blogger template if you are using default blogger template. For dynamic templates, you have to do editing manually.
• In blogger template editor, click on advance ==> Add css

• Add the css code in the empty space given below. You can see the changes in the live preview just below the blank space. 
• After doing all the editing click on "Apply to Blog" and you are done.

Adding CSS code by editing the template:

• This method is recommended for those who have some knowledge about template editing. 
• To edit your template, go to Template ==> Edit Html
  

• Now press ctrl+f and type the following code in the search box.  /b:skin
• Once you find it, paste your CSS code above this code and click on save template. Preview your template to see the required changes. You can also see the changes by pressing the preview button while living in HTML editor. 

What next:

These are two simple methods to add css code to blogger template if you don't have any technical skills, you can easily edit the css code of your website and change the design as you want.

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10 tips to make user friendly website

You can see millions of websites running on the internet. All of them are offering something unique. There is a lot of competition and you need to be unique enough to get noticed. There might be the people who head to your website and close it instantly. It's because they find something wrong with your website. It may be the design, the colors or something else.

How to make User-friendly website?

So here i am going to tell you that how can you retain as well as get new readers for your website.

1. Design

Your website design is going to be the leading factor when we talk about your reader. Unique content without a proper design is like scrape. If you blog is unfriendly then people will start ignoring it.
You can see the examples of big brands and check their websites. They have a professional domain name and logo which makes a big difference. Customize your main areas like header, sidebars and footer to get maximum attention from the audience.

2. Navigation

Make your website user friendly by adding simple navigation bar which shows the main categories of the website. One can use drop down menu to show sub categories of the website. Add labels to each post to categorize your content and don't use more than 2 tags for each post. 

3. Content

Content makes you different from other. People will visit your website again if you have useful content and you are adding creative things on daily basis. Keep your blog updated with related news and do targeted posts to get more audience.  

4. Have a Logo

Logo makes you different. You will see every big brand with a designed logo and they use it on every advertising board. Same is the case with you. It is an online image which your reader is going to remember. Get a professional and unique logo and don't try to copy others. Show it at the top so that user can remember it.

5. Color

Use user friendly color scheme on your website which suits your design and the niche. The choice of color can also depend on your logo style. Use contrast color and the best option is Black text over white background which makes it easy to scan the content.

6. Add search functionality

Add a simple search bar in the right side bar or at the top right side so that user can search your website. It will help you to get more traffic and page views for your website.

7. Presentation

It is better to understand the behavior of your user. An average user on internet skims through the data so it is better to use small paragraph. Divide the content using headings, sub headings and lists so that reader can instantly find whatever he is searching.

Use block arrangement for your website and make every part distinct from the other. 

8. Speedup your website

Website speed is and important ranking factor and will help you get more organic traffic. Try to speed up your website by using simple design and seo optimize images. Use css to design your website and avoid heavy images, videos and scripts.

9. Use images

Images can make content really go well. Use related images to make you content more attractive. Don't crowd the page with too many images as it may distract visitors. 

10. Make it clear

Be careful while writing. Always propose your point in the start and then try to explain it. Content without proper scheme doesn't make any sense for the reader.

Your opinion

All of these tips will help you to make your website more user friendly. If you have something else to share then mention it below.

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