The Blog With Ben Podcast: Episode 003

This is a podcast where I talk with bloggers and entrepreneurs to discover how they build, grow, and monetize their blogs and online business ventures.

I’m your host, Ben Cummings, and today's episode is part two of a three-part series. In this episode, I break down my digital platform and pull back the curtain on the digital marketing resources I use on blogwithben.com.

You’ll learn how to start a blog the right way, and get an inside look at the WordPress plugins that have brought me success online.

This podcast’s format is typically an interview with another blogger, but today is going to be a solo show. I’m actually in the process of recording a few other episodes, so it’s just going to be me.

I thought this would be a good opportunity to talk a little bit about blogwithben.com and specifically focus on how I structure my blog, what resources I use, and how I’ve been generating revenue online.

The main reason I wanted to do this episode is because I wanted to break down what I personally use as my digital platform, and pull back the curtain on my online business model, so that you could see what’s been working for me and then implement those strategies within your blog.

• The premium WordPress theme I used to build blogwithben.com. [2:46]

• Why do I recommend that theme? [4:19]

• The importance of emal marketing. [6:39]

• Why I switched my email marketing sofware? [7:17]

• Lead generation and the importance of opt-in forms. [9:16]

• The two most effective opt-in form plugins for growing your email list. [10:40]

• The specific WordPress plugins I use on my blog. [12:53]

• My top pick for a plugin that boosts your SEO and pagerank. [13:46]

• My social sharing plugin. [15:19]

• How to create a child theme and the importance of having one. [16:21]

• My security plugin and how it saved my blog from hackers. [19:30]

• The importance of backing up your blog and what plugin I use to backup my database. [22:47]

Thanks for listening!