The Internet is a magical place; anyone and everyone can carve out their own little corner where they can say whatever they want whenever they want. Free blogging services such as Blogger and WordPress guarantee anyone can carve out that corner, even if they possess no coding skills whatsoever. As more and more people take advantage of these free website templates, the desire to customize that corner grows stronger. The individualistic streak of which Americans are so proud stretches to their online presence as well.
These free blogging platforms are great for freelance writers who are just beginning to build a portfolio, artists looking to collect their work in one place, artisans hoping to sell their wares on their own terms, and anyone looking to be seen as an expert in any niche. These people want to create an online presence, and they not only want to appear professional but also to control how their domain spreads across the Internet. Website add-ons, pre-written pieces of code capable of performing a variety of functions, give incredible power over how your online presence is presented.
These add-ons can be as simple as a message forum, an email list or a guest book that visitors to the site can sign. A blogger can display a calendar of events to alert readers to upcoming speaking engagements or set up surveys and quizzes to help readers feel connected and involved in the site. Some are strictly functional and enable the site to run more efficiently. There are add-ons that make it easier for mobile devices to access your site and visitor counters so the website’s owner can easily track growth. Google offers a piece of code that enables you to track a large variety of statistics within the Google Analytics programs. You can even have your blog’s Facebook posts displayed on your main page to show visitors how interconnected your online presence is.