Category Archives: Blogging Tips

3 Ways NOT To Promote Your Blog

3 Ways Not To Promote Your Blog

 

Have you seen great informational posts on how and where to promote your blog?  I have!  They always give great social sharing sites and useful ideas.  What about the ways that people promote themselves that truly comes off desperate and selfish because they seem to want to simply get the word out about their blog without really ever taking the time to grow relationships and share other’s content.  When we all first starting out, not knowing how to promote can definitely come off this way if we aren’t careful.  In most cases, I will say that people aren’t being selfish, they just don’t know.  I’ve come up with a list of ways I’ve seen people promote that is a big no no.  Without further ado, here is the list of 3 ways NOT to promote your blog:

 

1)  Oversharing.  You don’t want to overshare your content and make it completely unbearable to follow you.

a)  How many times do you think it is necessary to share your newest post on Twitter?  Definitely not every hour.  Perhaps a few times in a day will suffice.  To get even more savvy about it, you can use analytics on sites like Master Flitter in order to determine when the best time is to share things on Twitter.

 

b)  It’s funny to think that this is possible but you can do the same thing on Pinterest.  Repining your own pin too many times is a bit over the top.  I have several boards where different posts apply so I put them on there maybe once a day or so.  But not all at once.  It has been said that Sunday night is a great time to pin things on Pinterest since that appears to be the most active time of the week.  You can take that into consideration when you want to share things on there.  :)

 

c)  Sharing posts a million times on Google Plus and it showing up on the posts section of your profile.  It looks even more desperate when you have Google Plus comments and that shows on your posts as well.  I’m not a huge fan of Google Plus comments, but if you are going to use them, you definitely want to be aware of how this looks.  As far as what you are sharing in different communities on Google Plus goes, you can easily, in settings, fix  your activity from displaying on your profile so people don’t see where and what you shared on your profile umpteen times.

 

2)  Not following rules on blog hops so you can link up your giveaways and linky parties.  Some blog hops, depending on the rules, will allow you to link up these types of posts.  If they do, more power to you.  Share away!  But on a blog hop like mine, Countdown in Style, where it is a favorite post linky party that is supposed to be bloggers sharing actual content, these types of posts are not allowed.  I’ll be honest, we outline the rules pretty clearly so it has become an extreme pet peeve of mine to have to go and delete these links from the party because people are too busy trying to promote that they don’t follow the rules.

 

I think another reason why this is a pet peeve of mine for my linky party is because unlike the stereotype that linky parties get that you don’t necessarily get traffic from them especially the big ones, April and I commit to visiting every single linkup so people know they are going to get traffic when they participate.  I think it is also taking advantage when we say, only link up no more than 2 posts because we are taking time to visit ALL and people linkup more than 2 posts.  Another horrible way to promote your blog.  Be considerate and respectful to other bloggers.  It pays to do this in the end.  Trust me.

 

3)  Asking people to follow you back on a comment or on social media.  There is nothing wrong with leaving a comment on someone’s blog that pertains to the content but then letting them know that you are a new follower as well or that you are new to this person’s blog.  It does, however, look desperate when you tell them to please follow you back or that you followed them on each individual social media site they are on.  If you like the post, let them know and comment on what you liked about it.  Share the post on social media.  If you share it on Twitter and mention the blogger’s Twitter handle, they can actually see that you shared it for them and may thank you.  Doing this one time does not guarantee this person will follow you back or that they will go back to your blog and comment.  These things take time.  Be patient.

 

I think all of these things that people do are an attempt to grow their blogs really quickly and to be honest, if you are trying to do that, these ways of promoting yourself and your blog are not the way to go.  Making money on a blog and growing it, along with your followings on social media, take time.  Research the best ways to promote your blog and begin to comment and share posts from bloggers in your niche.  I hope this was useful to someone out there!  I’m just sharing what I learn as I continue on this journey.

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

 

XoXo,

 

 

Are You Hurting Your Reputation With Google And Other Bloggers?

Are You Hurting Your Reputation With Google And Other Bloggers
 

 

 

I love all of my readers.  In this post, I’m specifically talking to the ones who are bloggers.  You all probably know by now that I’m committed to sharing what I learn as I continue on this blogging journey.  I’ve always been the type of person that has always wanted to just do things the right way the first time.  But as in life, with my blogging, I’ve come to terms with the need for me to accept the process.  Here are some things I’ve learned, recently, that could have been harming my reputation in the blogosphere or with Google so I wanted to share them with you all.  Some of them are tips that I’m sharing just because I’ve seen it and I know that if people read a post to tell them otherwise, perhaps they would fix it or add onto their to do list to grow their blog.  As you plow through these points, I hope you will be able to determine if you are hurting your reputation with Google and other bloggers?  Hopefully, you aren’t and if you are, you can always make changes like I continue to do! :)

 

1) Is your gravatar picture showing a default face as opposed to an actual photo of you when you are making comments on other blogs?  I’ve been actually blogging since March 2013 and I noticed that when I would comment on some blogs, there wasn’t a picture for me, but for others, it was.  Right before I made the switch to WordPress, I was convinced that it was like this because these individuals were on WordPress.  Well, after reading a commenting rules list on another blogger’s site, I learned that I didn’t have a picture because I didn’t have a picture or account set up with gravatar.com.  This site is powered by WordPress.com.  Many bloggers want to connect with you and see your smiling face to know who they are replying to on their post.  I felt very silly for just realizing that this was the reason why I didn’t have a picture.   Either way, I’m glad I have one now and I hope someone who doesn’t have one will register on that site to get one too.  It took me 2 seconds to do it.

 

2)  Do you have backlinks on your blog that are not relevant to your niche?  First of all, I had no idea what backlinks were or how they worked.  Two ways that I have learned that you get backlinks is by people referencing your site on theirs and also by people leaving comments on your blog.  This was a real eye opener for me when I learned a little about this one.  Many bloggers create buttons and like to swap with others.  As long as people are within your niche, having them link to you isn’t a bad thing.  It actually helps your reputation with Google.  This was definitely a point where I had a sigh of relief because I have many topics that I blog about.  If you haven’t already noticed, check out my pages up top that can give you a list of posts under those specific categories.

 

3)  This brings me back to comments on your blog.  You know now, if you didn’t know before from number 2, that comments provide your blog with backlinks that can really help your site.  But what if the comments are not relevant to your post or if people who are not within your niche are commenting?  Both of these types of comments can hurt your site.  When someone leaves a comment that is irrelevant to your content, they are more than likely just trying to be seen.  Because it hurts your blog anyway, you might want to rethink approving these types of comments.  You know the ones where someone is telling you they nominated you for a blog award, or “thanks for hosting” on a post that isn’t a linkup or bloghop.  How about the ones where someone says they are a new follower.  I can respect the new follower comment if the person actually takes a moment to comment on the post that I put so much effort into composing.  If you are a blogger who is doing these things, you are also hurting your reputation in the blogosphere.  I’ve been guilty of a few of these types of comments in my early months as a blogger, so don’t feel bad.  If you want to be seen and grow, just be more engaging by taking the time to comment on what people are saying in the post and then, share it if it is within your own niche and you think it will help your followers on social media.  Before you know it, people will be returning the favor and you not only will begin to gain more followers, but great friends and faithful readers.

 

4)  I’ve seen plenty of posts that address how to fix the “no-reply” blogger issue for people, but I wanted to mention that typically this happens when someone isn’t signed up for Google+.  I just want to tell you that not being on Google+ is like shooting yourself in the foot as a blogger.  First off, when you have a blog, most will tell you that Google Authorship is very important for helping you to show up in search engines.  Google Authorship happens by your site/e-mail address showing up on your Google+ profile.  If you don’t have an account, how will you set this up?  Also, Google+ is apart of Google.  You probably gathered that by the name.  The connection to being able to make an impact with SEO on Google is as easy as sharing your post on Google+.  This isn’t the only SEO technique, but it definitely is one of many that you can easily grasp simply by having a Google+ account and sharing your content.  Forget the steps to fixing the “no-reply” blogger issue.  Just sign up for Google+! :)

 

5)  Speaking of social media, are you on just one form or none at all?  If you are a blogger, if you want to grow, you definitely need to be on more social media sites.  Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Stumbleupon, Google+, Youtube, Instagram…am I missing any of the main ones here?  We’ve already discussed the significance of Google+. Pinterest is one of the top traffic sources for many and Twitter is the easiest way to share and connect even within 140 characters.  Facebook has recently admitted to making it difficult for fan pages to reach their fans.  I’ll admit it does look like a ploy to get people to pay in order to get their posts seen.  I post to my fan page and then also share the posts with my personal account friends.  That usually helps my reach a little.  I also have my Facebook personal profile connected to my Twitter page so everything that is posted on my personal page, by me, gets updated to Twitter as well.

 

6)  A lot of people don’t know much about Stumbleupon.  It is a social bookmarking site.  Social bookmarking is pretty powerful for your content and helping your page views and rank.  Share all of your content on social bookmarking sites.  Here are some I’ve come across: blokube and blog interact.  Share. Share. Share.  Join networks like Triberr, too, as I’ve said before to get more bloggers sharing your content as well.  Keep in mind that sharing encompasses more than you just sharing your own content.  People will respect and trust you more when you share even other useful and helpful content that comes from other blogs.

 

These are just 6 tips I wanted to share that I’ve come across recently.  I hope it has helped someone out in some way.

 

Did you know all of this? 

 

Did I forget to add anything?

 

What’s a blog tip that you haven’t seen that you would love to share with others?

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

 

XoXo,

 

Why I Made The Switch From Blogger To WordPress

Why I Made The Switch From Blogger to Wordpress

So I finally made the switch to WordPress! It has been the topic of discussion for months now and it is finally official! I also had great help from a blogger buddy of mine Taryn.  She helped me create a new design because let’s face it, my design needed a facelift and a more personalized look.  You can google pros and cons for using Blogger and WordPress, but the bottom line is, you have a lot of limitations with Blogger. To become self-hosted and to create your blog on wordpress.org is like opening a door to endless opportunities for your blog, as far as I’m concerned.

 

The main reason it took me so long to transfer was money.  Many hosting sites advertise one price and then you learn that it is a lot more to get started.  I decided to go with Hostgator.  I heard great things and I ended up only paying $20 to start and I pay less than $10 a month for my service.  I am an affiliate for them now because they have a great price and they are available 24/7.  But apart from that, I’m just stating the facts.

 

Below are all my reasons for making the big switch from Blogger to WordPress:

 

1) Comments! I hated Blogger’s comment system. I’ve been told that depending on the template I use that I could get a version of comment luv that is offered on WordPress. I researched that and couldn’t find it anywhere.  I even asked several bloggers.  I started using Intense Debate which was a lot better than other comment systems.  I liked it because it provided emails to my readers with my reply to their comment.  The bad thing about it was, it slowed down my site.

 

2) Which brings me to my next point. Mobile friendliness.  My site was not mobile friendly and many Blogger sites are not. To be honest, I had the worst issue when I would make the mobile version available for viewing and that was that if someone wanted to comment from his or her phone or tablet, it would come through Blogger because the mobile friendly version of my site didn’t display the Intense Debate comment form.  Some people suggested using Google Plus comments. Should you ever decide to transfer your blog in the future to another platform, you will loose those comments.

 

3) You have access to so many plugins that will enable you to do so much more on your website. If you need something, there is almost always a plugin for it.  The kicker is, knowing the wording of the plugins to be able to search for them or having relationships with other bloggers so that if you don’t know, you can ask.

 

4) Not that the average person will exceed the amount of page views per day to where this would be an immediate problem, but did you know that after your page views exceed the limit, you would need to become self-hosted anyway?  I believe the number is 10,000 page views per day.  I’ve seen posts go super viral on Pinterest. You just never know, folks.

 

5)  I wouldn’t want to be trying to make the switch any later than the present.  Moving everything over and building your site can be a lot of work and depending on how you maintained your comments, etc, wouldn’t you be devastated if years of working on your blog couldn’t be completely transferred over or it didn’t look exactly the same? I didn’t want to get to that point either.  If you want to make the switch and you can afford it, take it from me, hire a professional.

 

Some people feel that SEO is another reason to transfer.  I’ve heard some say that Google values Blogger blogs more so they rank higher or that WordPress offers more things you can do to boost your SEO rankings.  In reference to that, I will say that we forget sometimes that Google isn’t the only search engine where people can be looking for content on the web.  I’ve been privileged enough to know a blogger or two who are exceptional at SEO and making their websites rank quickly and these bloggers use Blogger.  Perhaps they are just savvy and have learned how to do so much on that platform.  However, I will say that most bloggers that I know who are successful are self-hosted and are on WordPress.  I’ve come into contact with a couple of great bloggers who are geniuses at being able to maximize the tools you can use in WordPress for SEO.  I will definitely share what I learn as I learn of course!

 

If you are comfortable using Blogger, by all means, continue what you are doing, but as for me, I’m glad I made the switch.

 

Did you ever use Blogger? 

 

 
Have you ever made this switch or any other type like this for your blog? 
 

 

Are you happy with your current blog platform or are you thinking about switching? 

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

XoXo,

Blogging Etiquette


After the response I received from my post Does the Blog World Have Color Barriers, it really made me start thinking about blogging etiquette.

Etiquette is something that exists when it comes to how we handle people in our everyday lives.  I believe it’s what keeps people nice, patient and supportive to one another. As a society, I feel like sometimes we lose the value in this because we have become more self indulgent and with technology making things easier to obtain, it makes everyone want everything now or should I say yesterday.
So I started to wonder, even though we may feel like things are ok in our personal parts and persectives of this life, could we in fact be the reason that someone doesn’t feel welcome in the blog world?  Here are some things that I’ve picked up on since I started writing on this space called a blog: 
I know you may be a superstar in the blogosphere. Your following is high and your comments are plenty, but did you take the time to notice the new person that stopped by your blog today? 
Replying to the person’s comment is half the battle.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, installing a comment system that sends your reader an email with your reply is still a wonderful gesture.  I just want to know if you remember when you had only 2 comments on your blog as opposed to the average 30 that is showing now on each of your posts?  Going back to that reader’s blogging space to provide some support by not only reading what they are posting but commenting on it can go a long way. 
On the other hand, when you see a blogger has umpteen comments and a lot going on at his or her blog, it may be an indication that this person has a full schedule. People also have real life to live.  Perhaps taking the time to comment on more than one post, will ensure that you stand out to them as someone new who they need to go back and support.  And in many cases, I have found that people have noticed me.  They just need a minute to come over and engage. 
I mean ultimately, many want to make money blogging or become known in the blog world, but are you too famous to follow the bloggers who follow you even sometimes? Many bloggers are trying to increase their followings in order to be able to work with brands and sponsors. Can’t you remember what it was like to have a small following? It can feel like a lifetime will have to pass before you will have a large one. You can always like a Facebook fan page back, follow back on Twitter or even add bloggers into your circles on Google Plus after he or she adds you.  Do I have to mention saying thank you when someome shares your content or retweets you? These little things, I believe, can go a very long way not only in showing blog etiquette but in starting connections and showing support for others bloggers. 
I think we can all agree that blogging takes time and effort.  It’s one thing to be able to gain a lot of followers through participating in linky parties and giveaways, but it takes a really diligent person to cultivate those followers into readers and relationships.  
You don’t have to put it in your comment but maybe we should all ask ourselves, are we practicing blogging etiquette?
What are your thoughts about this? What are some ways that you interact with your readers and other bloggers to make them feel welcome to connect with you?
Before you comment on my blog, please read:
I love reading comments from my readers and I ALWAYS like to go back to their blogs and read their latest posts and comment. Have you left a comment on my blog and it isn’t showing up? When you are about to post a comment, ensure that you see an Intense Debate Comment Form that will allow you to sign in via Twitter, WordPress or Intense Debate. If you don’t see that form, click on the bottom where it says View Web Version then you should see the it. Don’t forget to leave your blog site so I can show you some comment love! xoxo

How To Turn Your Followers Into Readers

 

Many times in the blog world, you will come across people with large followings and as new bloggers, this is always very attractive. And then you may attempt to interact with one of these people and to your surprise, they are unresponsive. In this post, I want to share how to turn your followers into readers.

Followings are important for making an impact and for your ability to show brands and sponsors that you have enough of an influence to where you can get the word out about their products and services.  But make no mistake, followers are not always readers.  
If someone has a large following, consider this: 
Are people simply following them because it was a requirement during a giveaway? 
Are people following them because this individual has either participated in or hosted a lot of linky parties? 
The point is, some followers might have connected with you for one of the reasons above, but come back to visit your blog seldomly or even worse, never again. 
Perhaps you plan on being the type of blogger who only hosts awesome giveaways and having readers doesn’t really interest you, that’s ok too.  It is your choice.  But for those who would like to not only have followers, but readers, consider the following: 
1) Consider who you would want to read your blog and develop an action plan on how to reach these individuals. 
2). Use linky parties as not only a way to boost your following, but as a way to meet new bloggers and cultivate relationships with these other bloggers even after your initial contact at the party. 
3). Become a supporter of other bloggers by commenting on and sharing what they are doing. People will begin to reciprocate and you will find more people responding to your posts. 
4) Write post titles that will make searchers be able to easily find your post.  Don’t be afraid of those 3 letters SEO. 
5). Focus on creating unique content that people are actually searching for but not everyone is writing about.  Duplicating content or topics may not get you the readers you are looking for because if someone else’s site is ranked higher than yours, the searcher will see those posts on the first few pages and never get to yours. 
6). Once in a while, consider participating  in linkups like Ten Things of Thankful where your followers get to know you better and you can begin to learn about other participants as well.  These types of linkups have been a great way for me to begin awesome relationships with many bloggers that I may not have had an opportunity to get to know otherwise.  Many of these bloggers have not only become followers, but my readers as well. 

Are these tips helpful? Did I forget anything? Feel free to comment and let me know!

If this post was helpful, you might also enjoy other blog tips I’ve shared in the past like:

How to Become a Good Blogger

Are You Hurting Your Reputation With Google And Other Bloggers?

XoXo,

Does the Blog World Have Color Barriers?

I don’t really write about controversial topics.  You all may see me reference my faith here and there, but this is expected because you all know I’m a believer in Jesus Christ.  I actually started to wonder about the experience of my readers and other bloggers when it comes to interacting with other bloggers within the blogosphere just this past week.   So I am just wondering does the blog world have color barriers?
I hope this doesn’t sound like I’m in a bubble, but I honestly do not think about racism too often, except when it blatantly comes up. I’ve actually experienced more racism from people who consider themselves to be black more often than I can ever remember experiencing racism from someone who considers himself or herself to be white.  But this stuff doesn’t matter to me.  People have their own issues that have absolutely nothing to do with me.  
 
I also know that there are some very close-minded people out there who are apart of creating glass ceilings for some exceptional people out in the world from progressing, and I’m aware that things like racial profiling and stereotyping do exist.  I’m just not the type of person that reads into everything to decide if there is racism involved. In all things I try very hard not to jump to conclusions.  Sometimes things are just not always what they seem. Other times, we have to take person by person or else we will find ourselves generalizing and perhaps doing what we are accusing others of doing when we call a group of people racist. 
With that being said, I guess if there was a racial reason as to why someone hasn’t interacted with me in the blog world, I haven’t noticed it. It appears that my readership has people from all types of racial backgrounds and ethnicities which I love. I’m raising my son bilingual so you all can imagine how much I enjoy cultures and languages.  But just because I’m a social butterfly and have interaction with people from all over, I realize that it doesn’t mean that these color barriers don’t exist. 
If any of my readers have experienced blatant racism in the blog world, I feel so sorry about this. That is terrible. If you are under the impression that there is a racial barrier in the blog world as a blogger, perhaps you also just haven’t met the right group of people yet.  I’ve expanded my network of blog friends so much since I created Homemaking With Style in August.  The reason for this is because I noticed some interesting things about the blog world concerning who is following who and who has a lot of comments on their blogs.  I know lots of them, but I won’t bore you all with the list.  I’ll select 2 just to give you all an idea of where I’m going with this.  Take lifestyle bloggers that I adore such as Tamara and Lanaya.  I almost never miss a post from Tamara so I’m fairly certain that she doesn’t include any “how to” or “tip-like” posts.  She is a great photographer and just really writes about her everyday life.  Lanaya is the same except she will include an occasional review or “how to” post in the mix.  What do the 2 bloggers have in common?  Both have a lot of comments on their posts from all types of women and a huge following.   After knowing them both virtually for months now I’ve received similar advice from the both of them which has been extremely helpful and I have learned so much just by watching them.  Comment on other blogs and be engaging is what both have told me.  They both support and consistently follow many other bloggers.  Tamara once told me that you have to give in order to get in return and that in the beginning it may seem like you are giving giving giving with nothing in return.  If you want more readers and support, isn’t it similar to what you find to be true in real life?  Two very wise women said it best and to be completely honest, I’ve stalked their blogs and followed some of the same people who follow them and now some of their followers and readers have become some of my supporters and followers as well. 
I don’t like hearing that people feel ignored.  I guess I just love helping people and I always like for them to feel welcome.  So feel free to email me or let me know in your comment if you would like more support or advice in this area, please!
I need to know what my readers think about this. I hope I’m not starting huge debates.  I just know I’m only one perspective. 
Do you feel like there are color barriers in the blog world? 
Have you ever experienced racism in the blog world or in real life? 
I’d love to hear your thoughts. 

XoXo,

 

How to Become a Good Blogger Part 2

On the 19th of September it was exactly 1 month that I launched Homemaking With Style.  I’ve decided to try to post an updated blogging tips post every month from here on out.  This way I can share what I’ve learned with other bloggers.  I know I’m a newbie but I’m getting all of my pointers from veteran bloggers that I’ve connected with.  I’ll tell you about my followings and you can do the math to see if what they have been teaching me has been working.  Since I wrote my first post How to Become a Good Blogger about a month ago, my twitter following has increased by 300.  It was 600 when I wrote that one and now it is a little over 900.  I started a new fan page for Homemaking With Style and the number of fans I have is around 200.  After a month, Homemaking With Style’s Bloglovin’ following is at about 75.  I was also able to score a campaign with 1 brand already which I was extremely excited about!  I cannot remember what my Pinterest following was when I wrote Part 1, but I have made some changes to how I do things on there recently because of a few posts and things I’ve stumbled upon and there has been an increase in my following there as well.  Right now it is at 190 something.  Ironically, my following hasn’t grown much on Pinterest, but Google Analytics shows that Pinterest is one of the top 5 places that generate the most traffic for my blog.  When I get to my point about Pitnerest, you will see why.  So here are some tips that I’ve gathered together for you all to ponder on and perhaps add to your blogging style. :)

 

1)  I honestly can’t stress this point enough.  It is the main reason I have been able to gain such momentum with this blog in such a short amount of time.  Engagement.  Engagement is key in the blogging world.  Engagement creates followings, networking relationships, friendships and support.  I’ve heard it from several bloggers who don’t even know I’ve asked them the same question.  These are the bloggers who are responding to comments on their blog and who will come back over to your blog and comment on your posts too.  No matter how big or popular you get this is something that you should try to stay faithful to is what I am told.  This can be hard when you get like 50 comments on your blog, but you don’t have to comment on all of them all at once.  A clear example.  Some people might think I’m obssessed with her but I literally just can’t get enough of this one blogger that I interact with.  Look at Tamara from Tamara Like Camera.  She easily will have like 100 comments on one post.  She has been blogging for about 3-4 years so I take her advice whenever I can get it for sure.  She is the one who has stressed this point to me.  I love people and interacting with them so this hasn’t been difficult at all for me.  I’ve followed her lead and I believe it is generating some serious results.
2)  Joining sharing networks.  In my last post I talked about one of them called Triberr.  So I’ve noticed from looking at Google Analytics that I don’t get that much traffic from Triberr itself, however I’ve decided to stay apart of Triberr for several reasons: 1)  Support.  From being apart of tribes, I’ve gotten to know more bloggers. This has opened more doors for more relationships.  I have been asked to join more tribes, which means more of my content will be shared with more people that I haven’t touched yet through their social media channels.  2)  I’m the mom of a very active 17 month old so I don’t get the chance to constantly get on the computer throughout the day.  I do, however, have my iPhone.  When people are sharing my content, especially on Twitter, I can easily quote the tweet or retweet it right from my phone.  I like to do this and add some hashtags.  If you didn’t already know, hashtags on just about most social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+ (when used correctly) can help you reach more people than those that are actually following you.
3)  I have to mention this tip!  It was given to me by a blogger who is rocking it right now in the blog world and she only started her blog a little over a year ago.  My girl Lanaya from Raising Reagan suggested that you be yourself.  This might sound simple, but there are things that you can typically run across that can make you alter the you that your readers are getting in your posts.  Perhaps you haven’t met the readership that your blog is intended for yet.  Just be patient and keep writing.
4)  Which brings me to my next point: are you a frequent poster?  I mean, do you post at least a few times a week?  Some weeks I get so excited about blogging that I post everyday.  This probably won’t happen every week, but posting rather frequently is a good thing from what I’ve heard from multiple sources.  In reviewing my analytics, it appears people love the ‘how to’ posts and blogging tips the most.  I love to write about my everyday life especially as it relates to mothering, being a wife and homemaker in between those types of posts.  I’ll keep those ‘how to’ and blogging tips coming. All are apart of the topics that I like to write about so yipee!  Google Analytics are your friend.  I haven’t mastered reading through all of what it has to offer, but I can understand a few things that can help me plan posts accordingly.
5)  My new favorite social media site: Pinterest.  I want to give a shot out right here to my blogging buddy Betty Taylor.  She wrote up a post about her gaining Pinterest followers and it has changed how I do networking on that site for sure.  You can read the post here.  The video on there is a bit long, but totally worth watching!  I learned a billion things from it. :)  There are some things you have to be careful of as well with Pinterest.  A nice blogger named Amber that I’ve met along the way wrote up a nice tutorial that all bloggers I believe should read!  Very easy to follow and worth the read.  Take a look at it here.  In my attempt to grow my following and stay more engaged with Pinterest, I’ve discovered some pretty awesome linky parties that you may want to consider joining here:  the PinCentive Blog Hop at Cropped Stories, Mommy Mentionables’ Get Inspired With Us Pinning Party, Delectably Dawn’s You Pin Me right round baby, Diana Rambles’ Pin Me Linky Party.
6)  Getting traffic from Pinterest means that you want to have pinnable images.  People are going to see your images on there before they see your great content so creating good pinnable images is a must.  What happens if you aren’t a great photographer like my friend Tamara or Michelle from A Dish of Daily Life?  Take advice from my blogging buddy Mrs. AOK.  She uses not only picmonkey.com but ipiccy.com as well.  I knew about picmonkey but ipiccy was a pleasant surprise I didn’t know about.  Another great tip!  :)
7)  Are you hosting a giveaway?  Giveaways are a great way to give back and thank your readers for stopping by to comment and always read your posts.  I hosted a few already on this blog and I’ve learned a few things about them. Rafflecopter is what many people use.  If you want to have more than a few social media sites for people to follow, you will need to upgrade from the free version to the $7.99 per month version.  Not to sound cheap, but I’m a stay at home mom who is frugal like it’s nobody’s business because we are still in the sacrificing stage so that I can be home with our little one, so $8 a month goes a long way.  Besides, with all of the other things that come up in life, sometimes a few dollars can make a difference.  My Blogger BFF Mrs. AOK told me about another site you can use called Punch Tab.  The next time I host a giveaway I will be checking that out!
8)  Linky parties. Yes, you want to participate and perhaps host some linky parties to grow your following.  Here is what I’ve learned about linky parties, though:  you want to maintain a balance.  The advice I’ve received frequently is you want to remain engaged.  How can you continue to stay engaged if you are constantly following a million blogs but not having the time to go back and comment and read those blogs?  I’ve learned this the hard way in trying to host several types of linky parties.  Usually, the most topic specific you get in your requirements to link up, the harder it might be to grow your linky party at first.  Apart from occasionally co-hosting with others one week here and there, I’ve decided to stick to hosting my one linky party every week called the Mommy Monday Blog Hop.  I have 2 other co-hosts on that one, Mrs. AOK and Lisa from The Squishable Baby.  We take guest co-hosts on that every week for free so if you are interested in guest co-hosting with us one week, feel free to shoot me an email under my Contact section and I’ll add you to the calendar. :) I’ve maximized my networks using Mommy Monday because I try my hardest to go and comment on all the blogs and follow the bloggers who participate as well.

9)  This brings me to my last tip about maintaining engagement once you’ve discovered new blogs from blog hopping and hosting linky parties.  I have recently started to use Bloglovin’ more to help me in this area.  I’ve started to categorize the blogs I follow in a way that will help me stay more engaged with bloggers I meet.  It was a bit difficult for me at first because I was just going by what was in the feed on the Home screen.  Using the category tool has been so helpful.

10)  I haven’t explored this area too much because I’ve been just so excited this first month to post content and read other blogs, but if you are interested in monetizing your blog I’ve come across some great posts that are worth a read here: Shannon’s post called Business to Blogger and Kelli also has great tips here.

11)  My last point! I promise! Have you joined some of the networks that offer opportunities to work with brands as well as help you connect with more awesome bloggers?  I have joined a handful of them.  You can look on the left hand side of my home page and just click on the image and it will take you to these sites that I’ve started joining.

I honestly hope these are truly helpful for someone out there in the blog world.  If it helps just one, I feel like all my gathered research for these posts was totally worth it. Here are a few of some other bloggy buddies I’ve met that are just awesome.  They are really engaging and will follow you back :)

 

Ophelia from Latina Mamma Rama

 

Courtney from What’s Up With the Wilhems

 

Dana from Kiss My List

 

Miranda at The Involuntary Housewife

These are only a few!  I’m going to be updating more people each month as I interact with more awesome bloggers!  Until next time!

 

XoXo,

 

 

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