GoDaddy SSL Coupons & Adding Disqus to Blogger
We have two things for you guys today, one is for if you have already grown your blog to the point where it is worth it to be hosting it on your own. The other is for if you are still in the beginning stages of blogging and your website is still on a free service like Blogger (Google's free blogging platform).
GoDaddy SSL Coupons
We'll start with the tips for the people who have been working at their blogs for a while. You may have started off on a free service but with hard work and determination you have grown your site to the point where you have it on your own hosting plan. I get asked a lot about SSL certificates, so let's go over what they are. If you decide that getting one is a good idea for you and your blog, here is a promo code to save big if you are hosting on GoDaddy:
So SSL stands for 'Secure Socket Layer', what that means is that any data being passed between the users browser and the server is encrypted and will definitely stay private. If you are taking sensitive information from visitors to your website, then you absolutely must have an SSL. If you do any sort of credit card processing, that is probably done through a processing company like Paypal or Square, and they will handle the encryption for you. Honestly there is no good reason for you to be doing your own credit card processing!
Now, even if you don't handle any sort of sensitive information, you may still want to invest in an SSL certificate. It's a small signal for Google in terms of search engine rankings, and while it shouldn't be your primary SEO strategy it can help to give you a slight edge for competitive keywords. It's also a signal to visitors that you are a trustworthy website.
GoDaddy SSL Coupons
We'll start with the tips for the people who have been working at their blogs for a while. You may have started off on a free service but with hard work and determination you have grown your site to the point where you have it on your own hosting plan. I get asked a lot about SSL certificates, so let's go over what they are. If you decide that getting one is a good idea for you and your blog, here is a promo code to save big if you are hosting on GoDaddy:
So SSL stands for 'Secure Socket Layer', what that means is that any data being passed between the users browser and the server is encrypted and will definitely stay private. If you are taking sensitive information from visitors to your website, then you absolutely must have an SSL. If you do any sort of credit card processing, that is probably done through a processing company like Paypal or Square, and they will handle the encryption for you. Honestly there is no good reason for you to be doing your own credit card processing!
Now, even if you don't handle any sort of sensitive information, you may still want to invest in an SSL certificate. It's a small signal for Google in terms of search engine rankings, and while it shouldn't be your primary SEO strategy it can help to give you a slight edge for competitive keywords. It's also a signal to visitors that you are a trustworthy website.
How to Add Disqus to Blogger
If you're not at the point yet where you are needing your own web hosting, Blogger is a good option for the blogger just starting out. Blogger's default comments offer little in the way of customization and spam protection. You can either let everyone comment and field the ensuing spam or frustrate your users by requiring them to sign in with a Google account. Because of this, many businesses—both large and small-- and personal bloggers use third-party solutions like Disqus to power comments rather than the default comments from Blogger. You might find this improves the form and function of your comments because Disqus features comment rating and supports threaded comments, which allow you to easily reply to specific commenters. With little knowledge of HTML, you can create a professional commenting system like those on Wired.com and CNN.
Step 1
Log in to your Blogger Dashboard and click "Settings." In the "Posts and Comments" section, ensure that anyone can comment.
Step 2
Log in to Disqus. You must register for a Disqus account if you don't already have one.
Step 3
Click the "Dashboard" link in the navigation pane. Click to add a site on the left sidebar. Type in your existing URL, the name of your blog and a shortname, which will serve as a login to your website via Disqus. Click "Continue."
Step 4
Click "Blogger" from the install page to begin installation. Click "Add to my site" to install the necessary widget.
Step 5
Type in a different name for the blog widget before clicking the install button if you would like. If you have no existing comments on Blogger, your installation is complete.
Step 6
Click the "Import" link on Disqus if you need to import existing Blogger comments. Click the "Import from Blogger" button to import comments. Grant access to Disqus if prompted. Click "Import" to send previous comments to the Disqus system.
After importing your existing comments, Disqus will work seamlessly with your Blogger-powered blog. To moderate new comments, you must log in to Disqus separately from Blogger. However, Disqus for comments offers features to both website owners and readers that do not currently exist with Blogger's own comments. Once you begin using Disqus, you'll never go back to Blogger's basic commenting system.
Step 1
Log in to your Blogger Dashboard and click "Settings." In the "Posts and Comments" section, ensure that anyone can comment.
Step 2
Log in to Disqus. You must register for a Disqus account if you don't already have one.
Step 3
Click the "Dashboard" link in the navigation pane. Click to add a site on the left sidebar. Type in your existing URL, the name of your blog and a shortname, which will serve as a login to your website via Disqus. Click "Continue."
Step 4
Click "Blogger" from the install page to begin installation. Click "Add to my site" to install the necessary widget.
Step 5
Type in a different name for the blog widget before clicking the install button if you would like. If you have no existing comments on Blogger, your installation is complete.
Step 6
Click the "Import" link on Disqus if you need to import existing Blogger comments. Click the "Import from Blogger" button to import comments. Grant access to Disqus if prompted. Click "Import" to send previous comments to the Disqus system.
After importing your existing comments, Disqus will work seamlessly with your Blogger-powered blog. To moderate new comments, you must log in to Disqus separately from Blogger. However, Disqus for comments offers features to both website owners and readers that do not currently exist with Blogger's own comments. Once you begin using Disqus, you'll never go back to Blogger's basic commenting system.