I started my blogging venture back in December and in a few short months, I feel like I have messed up learned so many things about blogging. So, I want to share with you some of the lessons I learned the hard way in hopes to help you on your journey!
1
Have your name somewhere on your blog. {preferably first thing in your about section on your sidebar and at the foot of each post} It is really frustrating to hunt, and hunt and never find a bloggers name.
2
Make it easy to contact you. Have your email visible via icon or on a “contact me” page. If I want to email you, I want to be able to find it quick.
3
Turn off word verification. This is one of the most annoying things, google does a pretty good job of filtering out spam, so turn off your word verification for your comments. Its easy. Go to settings > Posts and Comments > Show Word Verification & hit NO! haha… i had this on for probably a month without even knowing it!
4
Have Fun Post Titles. This is kind of common knowledge, but I really didn’t think about it at first. Lets face it, we all follow probably a lot of blogs, and when browsing through our reader, we typically read our “favorite” blogs and ones that catch our eye. Think about it, someone is way more likely to read “Pin the Mustache on Justin Bieber” than ” It’s Okay Thursday #5″. I think link ups are really fun, but I honestly get bored if i just see Oh, So Pinteresting #5, #12… etc.. I am way more likely to read it if it says “Floral Love” or “Top 10 Trends this Spring”
5
Reply to comments the right way. I was replying to people who commented on my blog ALL WRONG for so long, and I was so sad to find out. Read about this post, to make sure you aren’t ignoring your followers.
6
Ramp up your social media. I know that it might feel silly having a facebook page for your blog and only having 1 or 10 followers but trust me, it is better to start early. This is one thing I really regret, I didn’t create or share my social media sites until a month and a 1/2 or so into blogging. Because of this, I missed so much time building relationships. Give your readers more ways to follow you via twitter, facebook, instagram, bloglovin, pinterest and rss. Trust me, they want to KNOW you and it is easier to have a convo via twitter or facebook.
7
Live your life. Its easy in the beginning to get caught up in blogging. It is a lot of work to gain success in anything, but so important that you don’t neglect your family and friends in the process. After all, if you aren’t living your life and just sit in front of your computer, what will you have to write about?
8
Design. If you are really considering blogging seriously, I suggest investing in a good design. I know it might seem hard to justify spending the money at first, but if you are wanting to get your blog “out there”, it is really important to establish “brand {blog} recognition” early on. {shameless plug: I design blogs via Clarke Creative & would love to design yours}
9
Swap Swap Swap. Geting your blog name out their is vital. In the beginning, you may not have the funds available to sponsor other blogs, so I suggest swapping… alot. This is important because the more people see your button, the more “recognizable” it will become, thus building your “brand”
10
Dont Compare Yourself to Others. Seriously, read this post I wrote a while back. Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle. You are perfectly YOU.
I really hope these lessons help you, but I know that I probably haven’t even begun to cover them all! Feel free to share your hard-learned lessons via comments: I would love to hear from you!!
Melissa Llado
Great lessons!!!
Noor Unnahar
These lessons are great . I hate the word verification !
Noor @ Noor’s Place
Michael
All very good lessons! And not just for beginners!
Angela @LivingstonsHouseFullOfBoys
Great tips! xoxo
Another Clean Slate
I need to put my name somewhere visible. I originally was going to blog anonymously but that did not last long. This is also why I hid my Facebook page! These are all great tips! I’ll be checking out your design page, too… 🙂
Kayla @ Keeping Up With Kayla
Great advice from a sweet girl!
Loris Ayoub
very nice lessons…
Brittany Fryman
This is so so helpful thanks so much for the great advice
Brittany @ everydaythoughtsbybrittany.blogspot.com
Rachel
Loved this! Amen to word verification, too!
Veronica Lee Burns
Number 10 is pivotal!
Jessica Lynn Martin
Wow, loved this! I am new blogger so I really appreciate this. Love your blog by the way! Xo
Jana
I loved reading this! I think I’ve had to learn all of these lessons the hard way as well, and I’m constantly having to work on #10. I just love your blog! 🙂
Amberly
I love these!!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!!
amberly
http://amberlyandjoe.blogspot.com
Aleshea
Loved all these tips.
Ginny
Thank you! I have also found all these things out the hard way. And I loved your mention of swapping, because I didn’t know how soon I could start swapping. Any more thoughts about how to do this? Should I use PassionFruit this early on just for swap sponsoring?
Thanks!
Ginny
http://www.moderncommonplacebook.com
Sarah {Limited Space Organizing}
Love this!! Number 7 definitely hits on what we talked about this weekend and is what I need to work on! You have such great advice, love talking to you!!
-Sarah
BREI
Thanks for the tips!
Chania B
Do you get alot of spam email with it readily available for people? That’s the only thing i haven’t put up b/c i don’t want to get flooded with it. Thanks for the tips!
♥Chania
Treasure Tromp
love these lessons! I just realized that my name isn’t on my front page (but at least it is my about me page )
Kelly Lamborn
Such a great post! Thanks so much for sharing!
Susannah
What great lessons, girl! I’m so impressed by how much your blog has grown in just a few short months. 🙂
Amber @ My Life in High Heels
This is fantastic and so encouraging!
Kenzie Smith
These are all great lessons!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
cooking with curls
Wow, those are really good lessons! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Emily @ Newlywed Moments
These are great lessons that I think MANY of us learned the hard way! Hopefully they will be able to help some “newer” bloggers, I wish I would have read a post like this when I got started!!
Amy
This is so helpful! I’m a new blogger, and this is great to know 🙂 Thanks!
http://www.mysmallinfinity.blogspot.com
Monique McCray-Alexander
This a great post! Very useful tips. I will immediately begin to respond to my comments the right way. 🙂
Mo
Who is that girl Mo?
Neely
Hey if you ever want to swap with anyone….I mean just saying 🙂 XOXO
Logan Maack
This is awesome! Thanks so much for this post! It is fantastic for new bloggers 🙂
Lauren ONeill
Thank you so much for such a helpful post! I wish I could reply on the blog so others can read it while having it send to that person’s email. Grr.
Lauren
7×7 Remix
Exploring My Style
Lacey Charrene
Newbie here! Loving the tips! Thanks allota luv!
PinkSugarSweetSpice
Thank you so much for these awesome and extremely helpful tips! I’m just starting out and am so overwhelmed with all of the info that I feel like everything has to be perfect straight away. It’s good to see that everyone has their trial and error moments!