Blogging Lessons, The Hard Way

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!!