Last month, I published my post on How To Start a Blog – Tips for a Beginner. Don’t get the titles confused, they are extremely similar because I lack any creativity. My other post was mainly about how to get going with your blog, and what companies to use to use to actually create your blog (domain, hosting, WordPress, etc.). But what about after you already create your blog and want to get going? What tips should beginner bloggers know about?
I haven’t been blogging for a very long time, and this August will be two years. I’m not sure if that’s a long or short time in blog-land, but I’ll take it. I have definitely made a ton of mistakes (maybe I should make a post about all of the blog mistakes that I made) and I have learned a lot.
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Lately I have been receiving many e-mails asking for blog tips. I’m going to guess that a lot of it is because many think that they will get rich blogging, but I’ll save that for a whale post in the future. I will definitely say that I am not an expert, and that I still don’t understand everything.
Luckily, I blog for me and I’m fine with making mistakes. Today, I will attempt to share with you my tips, and hopefully no one laughs since obviously I’m not the most professional blogger. Just trying to keep it real and be honest with everyone!
This will be a multiple series post, so look out for a Part 2 sometime in the near future. Today’s post will mainly be about the basic of having a blog, and some mistakes that might bother me. In Part 2, look forward to reading about how to choose the direction of your blog and more of a post about any wisdom that I have gained in the past 1.5 years, such as with the potential conflict of making money with your blog.
Some are against it, and some are for it. All depends on your direction and will be further explained in the future.
If you are interested in starting a blog, I created an easy-to-use tutorial that will help you start a blog of your own for cheap, starting at only $3.49 per month (this low price is through my link only) for blog hosting. In addition to the low pricing, you will receive a free blog domain (a $15 value) through my Bluehost link if you purchase at least 12 months of blog hosting. FYI, you want/need to be self-hosted if your website is used for freelancing purposes or if you want to make money blogging.
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 the 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.
Make it Easy to Subscribe
I cannot tell you how many times I have gone to a website and they have made it literally 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? AHHHH. Please make it easier for readers to subscribe! We want to be able to find you more easily in the future.
Related: How To Start A Blog
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 blogs, interacting on Facebook, tweeting on Twitter and so on. Of course be yourself, and don’t force a relationship to happen! That’s just awkward 😛
Link Your Twitter 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).
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, but also a side hustle machine.
What blogging tips do you have for beginners? What do you wish you knew?
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I feel pretty good. I'm doing all of those points listed above.
I have really enjoyed interacting with other bloggers through comments. I've gotten a lot of great ideas for posts from comments and have been able to up my investment game as well.
Yes I actually get a lot of great post ideas through comments as well.
I´ve only been blogging for a couple of months,but I think I´ve done pretty good on all of these. Hurray!
I especially agree on reply to comments. it`s how you start to communicate with others! I always reply to the comments I get, and I think people like it.
Replying to comments is always awesome!
Make friends has been the biggest factor in my blogging "success." It also motivates you to keep writing day after day when you know there are certain people who will visit (and comment!) just about every day.
My recent post 4 Ways to Make Money if You Need it ASAP
Yes I agree. Thanks for stopping by!
I completely agree with you about the captcha I hate them. There have been many times when I have just left when I saw one.
A quick tip: a headline that is eye catching will make a world of good.
For example, what cats can teach you about love.
Maybe not the best example but you get the idea.
I agree!
Get rid of the captcha, lol. I totally agree. I also hate when I have to log in to wordpress to comment.
UGh I hate that too! I'm horrible at remembering passwords.
My tip would be not to get caught up in the numbers. Yes you want people to follow your blog but building a readership can take time. Sure you can do giveaways and sponsor other blogs to get your name out there, but that doesn't guarantee you interactive readers. I would go back to the point you made about responding to blog comments. Treat your current readers well. Respond to them, get to know them and in time you will grow.
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I agree! So many people get caught up with the numbers and go crazy with it. I would rather have active readers than just inflated numbers.
Say something new! We try to make sure that our posts add something to the conversation and aren't something that's been written 1000x before.
Yes something new is good! I don't find reading the same PF posts about saving money (with no personality or personal experiences injected in) to be interesting. I like to read about how an author succeeded (or failed) and what they do!
Great tips Michelle! I for one would like to read a mistakes post to see what you have learned from them as I think they can be invaluable teaching tools. Anyway, Oh how I hate Captcha! I understand the point of it, but come on…it's like a completely different language that you have to get down and if you get it wrong it'll sometimes erase your comment. That said, a lot of your tips lead back to getting out there and networking and getting to know people…all of which are very important!
Haha the mistakes post would be miles long and people would probably be ashamed to know me!
Lol. You could break the mistakes post down into chapters…I would read them. It would be like watch TV bloopers. And I absolutely HATE those blurry captchas!
I agree with all of this. The captcha is SO annoying- that's my #1 blogging pet peeve!
My recent post Statement Blazers
Yup same here!
My advice for beginner's is to 1) Have something to say 2) Have a personality (and don't be afraid to show it) 3) Find your niche.
My first blog ran from 2000-2005; I shared with my boyfriend at the time. It was very much a personal blog about random stuff and nothing in particular but our niche was two personalities providing opinions on the same thing. Blogging was a much smaller community then and not taken seriously. I used Blogger (when it was it's own entity) but LiveJournal was still "the thing" to use. Social Media didn't exist (not even MySpace). We had a decent amount of readers considering and I made two really good friends out of it. Even when our posts were mere ramblings, we both kept our individual personalities which (hopefully) made for more interesting reads.
These are all great tips Leslie. Finding your niche is something to definitely think about. I'm glad I can just write about whatever and don't feel the need to be stuck in one niche.
These are such great tips!! I've also noticed commenting real responses to other people's blog posts are a great way for other people to see your a dedicated blogger, instead of those comments like "Love it!".
My recent post The Liebster Award…The Ultimate "About Me" Post
Yes I agree Chloe 🙂
This post couldn't be more timely for me. I just got started a couple weeks ago and will be putting some of these into practice tonight. Thanks for the great info and I can't wait for Part 2!
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Hopefully Part 2 doesn't take too long to crank out 🙂
These are some good tips. I am new so I appreciate the advice. I think I have been following all of these to this point.
My recent post Payday Loans, Avoid the Downward Spiral
Welcome Alan.
Great tips Michelle! And yes, captcha is soooooo annoying! I never get it right the first time 🙂 And yes, responding to comments is important!
My recent post 3 Month Check-In: 2013 Goals
Glad you agree 🙂
Thank you Michelle for the great tips. As a new blogger I find them extremely helpful. I know there are several things on this list that I can do to improve my blog. Improving my About page has definitely been on my list of things to do! Keep 'em coming! 🙂
Thanks Nick!