Top Tips for New Bloggers

I’ve been blogging for almost two years now so I thought I would share with you a few tips that I have learnt along the way. I’m not an expert, but the tips below are things that I think are helpful for bloggers who are just starting out.

Blogger vs WordPress

When I first decided to create our blog, I think I typed something along the lines of ‘starting a blog’ into Google and the first website to pop up at the time was Blogger.

I’m still using blogger now. I find it easy and simple to use, plus you can learn everything you need to know pretty quickly by simply giving it a go, by trial and error and having a general play around.

I’ve played around with WordPress briefly and although in my opinion I found it slightly more complicated than blogger, I really like the extra customisation options such as drop down menus.

You can have drop down menus in blogger, but even after watching numerous tutorials I still haven’t managed to figure it out!

The advantages of Blogger

Blogger is free, plus it’s owned by Google which means the chances of your blog going down are very slim. In fact in almost two years of blogging, my blog has never gone down!

WordPress has been known to suffer from more spam attacks than blogger. Blogger is pretty secure and safe to use, unless your password is stolen.

Your blog posts will appears in Google search engines quicker than if you had a self hosted blog.

One of my favourite feature that blogger has integrated really well is the social media sharing icons in the footer of each blog post. It makes it really simple to share your content at the click of a button.

You can also use adsense to monetise your blog for free.

When it comes to designing your blog, blogger has a number of free templates and backgrounds that you can use to help you get started and when you feel a bit more confident it’s pretty easy to design your own too.

The most important thing you should know if you do decide to use blogger is that you don’t actually own your blog. Google does. If you break Google rules they can remove your blog. Always back up your blog on a regular basis regardless of which blogging platform you decide to use.

The advantages of WordPress

There’s no doubt about it, WordPress is considered to be the best blogging platform around. Most blogs that I have come across are on WordPress.

There are two versions of WordPress. The free version which can be found at WordPress.com and a paid version which can be found at WordPress.org.

Just like blogger if you decide to WordPress you can sign up for the free version.

As I mentioned earlier I’ve not had much experience of WordPress, but from doing some online research WordPress does appear to give users more control and freedom over the look of your blog. Just like Blogger, WordPress has a number of free themes that you can use to get you started.

For me the biggest downside to WordPress is that they are strict when it comes to making money out of your blog. You can’t use adsense or affiliate schemes, plus advertising on WordPress is a bit of a gray area.

Choose your blog name wisely

When it comes to choosing your blog name you really do need to put a lot of thought into it. You’ll want a name that will stand out and on an even more important note you’ll want a name that will suit you in a years, two years even three years time.

For example if you blog about parenting and have one child, you might think a blog name along the lines of ‘Mummy to one’ would be a good fit, but what if you have another child? Your blog name wouldn’t really apply any more.

Take your time and think about the following things when choosing your blog name:

What is your blog about?
Who is your blog about?
What is your blogs target audience?

Buy a custom domain

Regardless of what blogging platform you decide to use I would recommend buying a custom domain (vanity URL).

When you first start out on Blogger you’re web address (URL) will be a blogspot.com one. For example when I first created my blog, my URL was www.twinmummyanddaddy.blogspot.com

This is the same if you use WordPress. You’re URL will be .wordpress.com

Just like choosing your blog name, you’ll need to think carefully about choosing your URL. If you have a name in mind, but find that it’s not available try thinking of another that’s similar.

Their are lots domain websites available. I bought mine through blogger originally, but it’s now with Go Daddy. A simple online search will bring up a number of options.

Start a blog for the right reasons

If the only reason you’ve decided to start a blog is to make money from it, stop now!

Ok, that may be a bit harsh, but bear in mind that most bloggers won’t make much, if anything from their blogs within the first year.

Why?

Quite simply because it takes time to build up a good following of blog readers over a number of different social media platforms.

You have to produce interesting content, that is suitable and engaging for your blogs readership and that also takes time and a lot of hard work.

I spend on average 28 hours a week working on my blog. Whether that’s writing blog posts, editing photos and/or videos, engaging in conversations with other bloggers and followers on Twitter and Facebook, updating my social networks, replying to and sending emails, plus lots, lots more.

Making money from your blog or receiving products to review is an added bonus.

I started blogging because I wanted to share our IVF experience with others going through the same thing and it’s developed from there. I now write about IVF as well as our parenting journey plus a few other topics that I enjoy which I think will be of interest to those who read my blog.

Add photos to posts

When I think back to when I first started blogging all of my posts were just blocks on writing with no photos.

This meant my posts weren’t really easy nor enjoyable to read.

Adding a photo or two to a blog post can help break up your text and really help to get readers into what you’re saying.

Another useful tip when it comes to photos and one that I have only recently adopted myself is to ensure all your photos are the same size. It’s a bit finicky, but it’s really worthwhile as it makes your blog more pleasing to the eye. A simple place to start is Pic Monkey which is free and easy to use.

Use personal photos. Stock photos can be great for when reading informative articles or news pieces, but in my opinion personal photos help to show us as your blog readers who you are. It helps us to know you.

Think twice about the kinds of images of your children that you’ll be posting on your blog. Remember anyone can see them and it’s not hard to lift images off your blog for use elsewhere.

Use Social Media

If you’re not already signed up to Twitter and Facebook etc I’d suggest signing up pretty early on.

It’s a great way to share your content and engage with other bloggers and also with the people who read your blog.

A few social media platforms I use are:

Facebook
Twitter
You Tube
Pinterest
G+
BlogLovin

You can also sign up to Instagram. I’m aiming to start using this more in the next few months.

If you find social media a bit overwhelming, sign up to one at a time. Once you’ve had time to get used to one site, try another.

Building up your views

Try not to look at your blog stats too much. You should blog for yourself and by that I mean stay true to yourself. Write about what interests you and what you enjoy rather than what you think others will want to read about.

Blog regularly and consistently.

Visit other blogs and comment on them. This will help to get your name out there, as well as giving you the chance to explore and find new blogs to read.

Take part in Memes and Linkys such as The Boy and Me’s Project 365.

Comments

Always reply to comments that other people leave on your blog.

Sponsored posts, reviews and working with brands

Don’t chase for these. It comes across as needy and can actually put other bloggers off from reading your blog.

You’ll find certain hashtags on Twitter where people ask for all sorts of things. From toasters to review to free beauty treatment. Nobody likes a blagger.

If you want to work with brands it’s important to stay professional and this applies to what you’re writing on your social networks to how you write an email. Think about it this way, if you wouldn’t say it in front of your mum it’s probably best to keep it to yourself.

Use spell check, be polite and always remember that people who email you from brands and PR agencies are just that…people, who have feelings and want to be addressed in good manner.

Read these articles!

A simple guide to follow and no-follow for bloggers
A quick guide for the newbie blogger
Are you cookie compliant
Accounting for bloggers: What income do I need to declare

Sign up to these websites!

Tots100
Britmums
Mumsnet Bloggers Network

Last, but not least

Be patient and enjoy your blog!