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It goes without saying that every blog is different. If it isn’t, then someone may be committing a crime. That’s a whole different story ;)
I don’t pretend to be an expert on blogging, any more than I pretend to be one as a parent. But over the past few days I’ve had lots of lovely emails from people who've found me thanks to Blogs of Note, keen to know how to build up their blogs, asking me for advice.
I’m still learning about blogging all the time and what works for me, but here’s my basic guide based on my experience and what I’ve gleaned from others.
Two other bloggers who you will find it extremely helpful to visit and learn from are Al Tait, who has written this one here and Chantelle Ellem with this one here. Both are blogging guides I think are standouts and I recommend you read and follow them too.
Starting up your blog:
1) I write on a range of topics, but you may want to specialize in something you’re particularly interested in. Remember it’s YOUR blog, so write about what you want to write about.
2) I aim to write five blog posts a week. Posting on a regular basis whether it’s three or seven times a week is a solid place to start. I don’t plan or schedule my posts however, I just write them when I can.
3) Visual is important. When you’re starting out there are lots of great templates you can use in Blogger, so have a play round with them. I had my blog done professionally with Danielle the Design Girl who worked with me to design a blog layout I liked. A blog designer I can highly recommend is Sass who is terrific to work with and has some gorgeous designs at very reasonable prices.
4) If you are short sighted like me, you may find light fonts on a dark background hard to read. I also have problems with very small or squiggly fonts. It may just be me, but I struggle to read posts written on them.
5) Don’t be afraid to illustrate your story with pictures or photos. Take them yourself or source them online. But always remember to either get permission from the source or give credit when you do.
Building up your blog:
6) Comment, comment, comment. This is where I started and I still aim to comment on lots of blogs each week. One tip is if you find a blog you like, go through their comments and click back to the blogs of the commenters. Check out their blog roll and visit their community of bloggers too. Let that blogger know you’ve visited them. Remember to build up a community you usually have to show you’re an active part of it. This is the most “hands on” way to do that.
7) Leaving a comment “Great Post!” is a nice way to let me know you’ve read my words, but it’s far more likely I’ll click over to your blog if you leave your opinion, experience or advice instead.
8) It’s important to follow blogs or subscribe to them. Don’t necessarily limit yourself to a particular type. I follow everything from craft (which I’m hopeless at, but a huge admirer of ) through to food, fashion, parenting, social justice and travel blogs.
9) Use facebook and twitter to build up your presence in Social Media and develop an awareness of your blog in the blogosphere. I like Twitter myself, but two bloggers who use Facebook really well and are worth checking out are Childhood 101 and SquiggleMum.
10) I’m updating my blog roll today. If you’d like me to add you to it, please leave a comment and a blog link. It is a small way for me to help you connect with other bloggers.
This is probably the most basic outline EVER. I didn’t even mention SEO, stumbleupon or page views. Which should probably tell you its level of importance to me ;)
I’m here to share stories and what I’ve learned or experienced, and while I do have some interest in those technical elements they don’t inform my writing one iota. I hope this has been helpful in some small way. And remember to leave a comment if you want me to add you to my blog roll. x
Image courtesy of We Heart It.