Post Topics:
Know your niche and stick to it. If your blog is dedicated to DIY projects, stick to just topics related to your focus. If you find your post is extra long, consider making it a series of posts especially if the topic can be broken into segments. To help increase your placement in search engines, make a list of key words related to your blog's focus. Work those words into your blog posts preferably at the beginning and the end.
Graphics:
Action photos that enhance your post serve several purposes. They add pizzazz to the text, but they also provide you with content to pin on Pinterest. When creating images, don't forget to watermark your photos with your blog name or your logo. If you are one to have your phone handy most of the time, one tip I'd suggest is a great app called Inshot. You can quickly edit your photos with borders, captions, digital stickers, and your blog name.
Composing Your Post:
No matter how tempting it may be, do NOT write your posts in Microsoft Word. Write in blogger only. Composing in MS Word adds a LOT of extra HTML code which slows your load time.
Moving Images:
Moving images in blogger can be tricky, but my advice to you is to not be shy. Click and drag images where you want them. Try to move them to the right or left for variety.
Connect with Other Bloggers:
Once upon a time, bloggers hosted "linky parties" to make blogging a little more social, but we don't see them as often now. Even so, connecting with other bloggers in your same niche does spread your audience. Occasionally, you can link blog posts on a similar topic in what we call round up posts. One important tip: try your best to keep readers on your blog versus sending them to another site. As I mentioned, occasional link ups DO help grow your audience, but you don't want to overuse them.
Other Posts:
If you've got a reader on your site, another important tip is to share related posts. At the end of your post, hyperlink a bulleted list of blog posts related to the current topic.
Content from Others:
If you'd like to include something from another blogger (an idea, teaching resource, a new version of spaghetti sauce, or a photo of a DIY project), DON'T DO IT! Remember graphics belong to the artist or designer who made them. Be courteous and ask permission. If you wish to link to something in another blog, link the text only OR ask permission from the author.
Generating Ideas:
Like children, we should always have work in progress. Keep a list of blog topics you might write about and map them out on your calendar. Again, consider writing a series of posts. You'll have more pins floating around on that topic meaning increased traffic. Additionally, there is no rule that all images HAVE to be within a blog post. You can make multiple pins for a blog post in a variety of colors and see which get the most traction. We call this A/B testing, and you'll learn which colors appeal and which topics grab attention.
Sharing Your Work:
Once your blog post is published, it's important to share it to social media. BUT, don't forget to reshare old posts too. Each time you share a post, you reach a new audience. You should reshare your blog posts about once per month. You can schedule sharing them right in the Facebook app.
Headings versus Images:
When I first began blogging, I created little images to break up my blog posts. Well, images are NOT recognized by search engines. They only recognize words. What can you do to add white space between your text? The answer....headings, subheadings, minor headings, etc. Don't fall foro the changing text size trick. That tab up above should be removed honestly. Heading break up the text and help you organize ideas too.
What tips have you learned? Please share in the comments. I can promise you that those tips will be appreciated.
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