Welcome to Day 7! Today’s the last day for my free blogging course.
Today, I want to share miscellaneous blogging tips that will help you be successful. Read below to learn more of my top blogging tips.
Be Yourself
When starting your blog, be yourself! Don’t try to pretend you’re someone else. I love reading real blogs where I can tell who the writer is just by reading what they have written. No one wants to read bland, boring posts. Inject all of your personality in them!
Have fun with it and determine why you really want to blog.
Have an About Page
Something that I am currently working on is improving my About page. I personally mainly enjoy reading blogs that have a fun or interesting personal view. Corporate blogs and blah blah blah don’t really interest me as much (nothing wrong with them, everyone enjoys different things).
I like to read about the author and see where he or she is coming from.
Having an About page lets me learn more about you, all in one easy page. You can include a picture, a bio about yourself, and possibly links to other posts that will describe you and your life even further.
Reply to Comments
Something that I always put major effort towards is always making sure to reply to comments. Sometimes the comments are just a “thanks,” but I honestly enjoy knowing that an author has actually read the comment that I have left.
I LOVE when I leave a comment on a blog that contains a question, and the writer will answer it.
I almost always go back to blogs that I comment on to see what was written back. Interacting with readers is always important.
Get Rid of Captcha
Captcha, oh captcha. I go nuts when I try leaving a comment and I see this. For some reason I can never get it on the first try. I’m fine with the “tests” right before you leave a comment that ask for what “1+1” is, but when it says to decipher what “32097 dfg fdgjh3 4” and it’s super blurry and all of the letters seem to go in different directions?
Sometimes I feel like I’m trying forever and have given up on leaving a comment before.
Instead install a good comment spam plugin that doesn’t make your readers jump through hoops.
I like the free WordPress plugin “Akismet.”
Make it Easy to Subscribe
I cannot tell you how many times I have gone to a website and they have made it impossible for me to subscribe. Either none of the links work, or there are no links altogether. No links for e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, subscribing, etc?
Please make it easier for readers to subscribe! We want to be able to find you more easily in the future.
Make Friends
One of the best things that I love about blogging is the awesome community that it brings. I have made many friends through my blog, and a lot of you I talk to nearly every single day. I really cannot say enough about making blogger friends.
Reach out by commenting on their blogs, interacting on Facebook, tweeting on Twitter and so on. Of course, be yourself, and don’t force a relationship to happen.
Be natural and make friends just like how you would in “real life.”
Link Your Twitter Account to Your Posts
A lot of the time I like to tweet posts that I really enjoy. I’ve been to a couple of blogs where when you click on the tweet button, the person’s Twitter handle does not automatically show up. Fix this! Make it easier for people to show you recognition. This is something that I didn’t do for a long time, until a couple of other bloggers told me that I was making life too difficult for them (joking of course).
P.S. A good sharing plugin for your blog is “Shareaholic.” It’s what I use and it’s free!
Have Fun!
Yes, different people start a blog for different reasons. But if you do decide to start one, have fun with it! I feel that the best blogs out there are by writers who are having fun with it. I enjoy having a blog, and it has turned into a great hobby and business.
That is the end of this free email blogging course. I hope you learned a lot over the past week and have a successful blogging journey. Whenever a good blogging tip or resource comes across my plate, I’ll make sure to send you an email and share it with you ASAP.
Have fun and good luck blogging!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner MakingSenseofCents.com If you are not a student of this free blogging course, you can sign up by clicking on this link, or by entering your information in the form below.
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