Skip to main content

Blogging Tips

Congratulations! you've made the first step by starting a blog. Now whether you're writing for your own personal reasons or you're blogging to grow a business, it's nice to be on the right track as far as being successful.



1-Begin by choosing a clean, neat layout. Something that is easy to navigate and easy on the eye. Flashy bright colors may throw some people off and they may click the back button real quick. A simple, yet elegant header is important. Font size shouldn't be too small or too large. Your style defines you and gives readers an idea of what you're all about by first impressions.

2-Too much of something can distract a reader, therefore they get out of there and don't have time to deal with all the chaos. If you have too many widgets, apps, music players, etc....it overwhelms the site and gets in the way. Choose what you like wisely. If it doesn't need to be there, get rid of it.

3-Create an about me and contact page. It's important for people to find out about you. We wanna know who we're dealing with. And if we have questions, we want to email you.

4-Make sure your settings fit your layout. Don't let the pictures over lap into the sidebars. Set the width big enough to support your photos.

5-Make sure a subscribe button is easily found.

6-If you're looking to gain readers (aka followers) be sure your Follow with GFC can be seen within a matter of seconds. People want to see it near the top of the page.

7-Post lengths. If your posts are way too long, chances are people will not read and click the back button. It's true. Let's face it. 1 out of 10 People reading your blog have time to read a 20 minute post. Writing is a wonderful thing and we want people to read. Make it a post, not a book.

8-Break up the posts into paragraphs. A bunched up post with a flood of words tied together puts strain on the brain. Separate into paragraphs and mix it up with photos.

9-Include photos. I personally love a ton of photos. Some people don't. But put a mix of photos in your posts and you'll be good to go. We don't want to hear about the handbag you just bought without seeing what it looks like. Your description isn't good enough. Show it off.

10-Make a button. A snazzy one so people can share you.

11-Comment Love. Yes. It's that important. If someone is kind enough to stop by your place, leave a sincere note, then return the love when you get a chance. Ps: Try switching to POP UP in your comments settings because there is a glitch with embed below the post comments and people are having a really hard time showing the love.

12-Turn Word Verification OFF. It's a nuisance. Blogger NOW puts your spam in a separate folder under your comments. NO NEED to HAVE it ON. Turn OFF-You'll get more comments! We Promise.

13-Google Ads. Really. Do you think you are going to make a bazillion dollars. Because more than likely if your blog is being viewed from Networked Blogs or any other referring sites, You won't get credit. They will. It's messy and so not needed. Especially in between your posts. annoying!

14-Don't be rude and leave copy and pasted comments. When visiting a blog, be respectful enough to actually read their post. Leave a sincere comment about their writing, photography. Tell them where you are coming from if you are new to their site. Do Not Leave Comments asking For Follow Backs. It makes people feel very uncomfortable and they won't even bother to check you out. If you go about it the right way, more than likely they will follow you back and that makes for good friendship. Leaving comments such as: "Hi I'm your newest follower from the blog hop, please come follow me back." is extremely rude and inconsiderate. We don't encourage that and you should be smart enough to know that it's just plain ignorant. People don't like that. We're here for building more than just a follow. We're building a community where people feel comfortable in meeting friends and reading new fabulous blogs, not too feel pressured to follow everyone just to clog up our readers. We're strongly authentic.

15-Join blog hops and communities. Get involved. Don't be afraid that everyone is like a #14 {many are but there are a lot who are not}. It's okay to jump in on things that someone else started. Some blogs are too demanding on the rules but many are laid back and here, we require nothing of you to join our hops{except #14}.

16-In regards to #14 and #15: If someone stops by your blog from a hop and leaves such a comment {and it bothers you}, ignore, delete and move on. The authenticity of their own blog is not worth your time. Shameless Self-Promotion Deserves no recognition. 

17-Post often. Posting everyday throughout the week is recommended. It's okay to take breaks, we all need them. But for the most part try to update the blog.

18-Guest Post. It's a really nice thing to be a guest once in a while. And allow others to be a guest of yours. If you're going to be on vacation, look for some guests ahead of time and schedule those posts while you are away.

19-Link. Linking back to sites and other blogs is a must.

20-Exaggerating and Sarcasm is okay. Lying is not.

21-Be real. Say whatever it is that you want to say. It's your blog. People fall in love with you for who you are not what you pretend to be.

22-Remember that a successful blog doesn't happen overnight. It takes work. Sometimes as much as a full time job. So be patient in growing your numbers and get out there as much as possible.

Please take a moment to read and scroll through all of our Tips Posts. They are informational and from our e-course, we've even added to them, so we hope you enjoy. If you want any posts about anything, please don't hesitate to email us and we'll be happy to get the post out.


Comments

Unknown said…
Thanks, these are great tips! Calamity Kate
AubrieAnne said…
This was so helpful. i'm going tog o make a few changes right now!
Alida Sharp said…
just read through these again... so helpful!!
Crystal said…
Great tips. As always, you are super helpful!!
Jackie said…
Hi there! Following via Twitter! Love your blog and these tips! I totally agree and wish some of my fellow bloggers would come by and read these!
Jackie
www.mommyinthebaking.com
Shah Wharton said…
Mine is way too much I know - its me though - clutter it hoarder ;) I WILL sort out though. Great tips. LOVE this blog! X
Thank you for the great tips. Love your blog and the blog hops.
Simply Stacie said…
I just found your blog and love it!!! Do you have a way to subscribe by email? I usually do most of my blog reading by email and would love become a subscriber!
Anonymous said…
Great tips! I must admit that I haven't been super involved over the past month...especially after your great feature of my blog. Those darn holidays got in my way! Thanks for your hard work and support for all of bloggers! Happy New Year everyone.
Missy said…
I've noticed that hosting a giveaway has been helpful. I am glad I get to give back to my readers because they delight me with their comments!
Isabel said…
Great and very helpful tips, thank you! I'm still new in this blogging world so your tips will be a great help to me...love FTLOB=)
-Mallori said…
Thanks for the tips! It's made me want to clean up my page quite a bit!
Patty said…
Appreciate the tips! Just when you think you know everything the realization that there's still much to learn hits home!

I'm so enjoying what I've been reading here while I get my blogging-feet wet!

Again, thanks!
Alex said…
Awesome tips!!! Love your blog!!!
Unknown said…
Soooo useful (especially for a new blogger like me!) Thank you for taking the time to put these together :)

Whit
whitspeaks.blogspot.com
Anonymous said…
Really apreciatted all the tips, as a new blogger i really needed this! thank you :)
Anonymous said…
Thanks for the excellent tips! ♥
Unknown said…
Great tips! Thanks! It also definitely helps to have a set of tabs or a menu bar so you can declutter your main page, and put other information that people may want to see (groups you are involved in, faq, outfits, photography, etc).

xo
olfa said…
Amazing tips.
Thank you for sharing them with us

Olfa
http://www.ourfamilyworld.com/blog/
30ish Mama said…
Thanks for the tips, they are very helpful, especially #14. When I found those comments on my posts I didn't like them, but I thought that's how things are done in the blog world. Glad to see you taking a stance against it!
Jaimie said…
i really liked this!
buttaflybytes said…
Useful tips! Thank you!
Alexia said…
Really useful! Thank you guys so much, I am definitely going to put some of these tips in action. x

http://theillustrated-edge.blogspot.com/
Nequia said…
great tips!

www.nequiaacovv.blogspot.com
Hockey Wife said…
I especially like No. 20. Be Real.

Lately, I've struggled with some of my content because while I want my blog to grow, I don't want to sell out. It's about my life, not promos and giveaways. I've also struggled with honesty, in that because of the subject matter of my blog, I have to be careful in what I say. I want to 'keep it real' with my readers about what this lifestyle is like - the good and the really, really bad too. But if I write about the bad in the wrong way, I can get myself into trouble since there are people who know exactly who I am.

At the end of the day, I am just trying to stay true to who I am.

http://adayinthelifeofahockeywife.blogspot.com/
Unknown said…
Thankyou for sharing the great tips!!!
Anonymous said…
I love your blog and the 21 things listed here. It's so straight forward and I like straight forwardness :D

Thank you for the blog hops to. I am able to meet nice people from around the world and join their sites to.
Have a blessed 2011!
Anonymous said…
This post is awesome! Really helpful! I came across you guys on scenicglory.blogspot.com/ (Another awesome blog!) and it's so pretty and helpful!
Thanks guys!
xx
Vi said…
What a great blog and thank you so much for hosting the hops/link ups. I love the list of tips you have composed and already see some areas where I can use some improvement. I am your newest follower and I plan on being back often.
Jessica Geels said…
FTLOB is great!!! Thanks for the tips! :-)
SLM said…
I'm guilty of saying "please follow me back" - I am a newbie to "following" etiquette. Thanks for the tips, and I will be back here to visit.
Alida Sharp said…
just read the new ones... thanks for keeping us all in line and helping us to grow as bloggers!!
(Single)Mommy said…
I'm so excited to have found your blog! Thanks so much for sharing these great tips.

Tania a.k.a "MoMmY"
My Adventures in Mommyland
Monica said…
Thank you for the tips! I am new to blogging and learning all of the proper etiquette. Thanks for laying out for us new to the blogging world.
Sam said…
Awesome tips! and awesome community! :)
Anonymous said…
Thank you so very much for all the great tips :0)
Unknown said…
Wonderful advice! I have already changed a few things on my my blog! Thank you!!
Rhonda said…
Thanks for the truthful tips! I recently started adding more photos to my posts and my blog already has an improved overall aesthetic. Great advice! :)
Alely said…
thank you for the helpful tips!
Unknown said…
I just came across your blog from a Sunday blog hop. I'm so glad I found you. Your tips are awesome. I've been blogging since '08 but do not post everyday due to schedules and I'm trying to find my voice so I'm holding back.

I hope that your tips will help me to get on track and find my niche/voice.

Thanks so much for hosting and all the helpful tips,
Michele
Shellsea said…
This is really useful. I am greatful for the straight-forwardness of this guide. I can say I have taken away quite a few good lessons just from this post.

Thanks!
Thanks for the "guidelines" being new to blogging it seems that a lot of sites have a lot of "rules" to follow in order to join them!
breath of fresh air! these tips rock and are very helpful. I wish I had found them a couple days ago :) I got a couple of those.. follow me, I'll follow you comments just today.. I was a little shocked. but I feel better after reading your advice!!
Jenna said…
Great tips and very helpful! Thanks for the guidelines!
GREAT tips!! Especially love the last one. Building a blog takes a LOT of time!! But it's so rewarding :)
Jennifer said…
Very helpful tips!! I too am encouraged by the "Be real" one. So new to all this! Thanks!!
RJDesignHut said…
Some fantastic tips! I just got rid of my Google ads, I've made 3 cents so far you know. lol

My tip today is make sure all your links work properly and do a spell check before you push the publish button.
ashley said…
Without wanting to sound like a suck up... This is SO me! So glad I found you ladies! xx
Jackie Ladner said…
Thank you so much for the wonderful information. I am so happy I stumbled upon your blog tonite.

Jackie.
Wonderful tips, many of which I haven't seen anywhere else.

Mari
Caleb said…
Good stuff! Especially about turning off word verification... sheesh. Come on, people.

Newest follower... follow me back!

Just kidding. If you even try and follow I will immediately ban you. Okay, that's not true either. But what is truth? Hey look over there! ::scurry::

Caleb

http://calebshreves.blogspot.com

PS great tip on commenting- I comment on EVERY blog I read. It takes like 5 seconds- seriously. Just do it.

(Don't sue me, Nike!)
Caleb said…
PS

I think I'm going to check out every commenter on this page and see if they turned their word verification off.

BRB.
Caleb said…
Ok, I didn't have time for all of them but I did just read through 7 people's blogs.

Good blogs, but disappointing results in relation to #12. WORD VERIFICATION OFF!

Kids these days...

Results:

1 blogger had them off:

Jenna

6 still had it on:

Mari
Ashley
RJDesign
Jennifer
Faith
Ourlittlebubble


And yes, I have this kind of time! (That and I read/type quickly).

I feel superior now, since I have all but 1 of your rules down (I don't have a button). PS what the heck do buttons even do? I tried googling it but the results were inconclusive.

Okay, I'm going to get some actual work done now.

Right after I google this one last thing...

Caleb
Emily said…
wonderful, wonderful tips!!!! they are ones I try to live by and feel they really do WORK!!! the more you post the better for sure :)
Jennifer said…
So glad I came back and read these tips through again! And figured out the mystery of why Caleb made a comment on my blog!! Thank you Caleb! And in honor of you (and these awesome tips) I turned word verification off!
This is a great post, and it was so fun to read all of the comments. It is frustrating when people do #14. I would love to see a tip on how to increase comments on my blog (other than commenting on others' blogs, which I do). I have lots of readers but very few comments, I would love to know how to get more feedback.
Awesome post! As a relatively new blogger, this is the kind of information I definitely need. I'm off to turn my word verification off now. :) Thanks for the great information!
Unknown said…
Ah, this is great! I couldn't agree more. Makes me feel good to know other people view all of this the way I do. I'm definitely joining! :D
Stacey said…
thanks for all of the great tips, it's awesome seeing it IN FONT, rather than guessing. This experience can be completely overwhelming at first, but it's totally something i heart!! <3

stacey @maple bacon & beavertails
anne said…
Wonderful tips for bloggers new and old! I'm especially fond of rule #14--there is nothing more annoying than the "I follow back!!!"
Caleb said…
Jennifer, sorry I read this so late, but you just made my day.

See that people?

Word verification off!!!

Though, rather than get extra annoyed, I've decided to just screen capture my favorite "words" for a later post. Got some good ones.

Caleb out.
Rita said…
Thank you for these great tips, I learn a little bit more every day!
Martha Smith said…
I love this post, the tips are very helpful. You have a great blog and I look forward to being a part of your community. Thanks
Jen said…
Thanks for posting. I have made it my personal checklist. I am very new to blogging, and thank God there are great sites like this one to help me, or my computer might have ended up on the front lawn.

Cheers!
Hi! I am new to blogging so don't laugh! But how do I make a button for my blog?! I just can't figure it out! Thanks!!
Sinea said…
Help! How do you make a button? I can do a jpg easily but I have no idea how to come up with the html! Someone help me please? It's so frustrating to know nothing about html.
Sinea said…
Comment Luv is WONDERFUL. My site is hosted by Blogger, as is FTLOB. How do I add Comment Luv? I thought it was a Wordpress plugin. Can someone direct me?
lisap said…
Thank you so much for all the great tips!

I really need to get a button or 2 made and some follow buttons. Is there somewhere I can do to do this? I don't have those types of skills. Any advice from any blogger would be helpful. Feel free to email me at insignificantatbest (at) gmail (dot) com. Thank you!!!!
Love this list! I've been following you - Vic - forever. How did I just find this today? I guess I'm only 1/2 awake when I am reading blogs!!!
Jenn Flynn-Shon said…
These are great tips even if you don't join this site, especially #14 & I'm looking forward to getting to know a bunch of awesome peeps from this site. So happy to have found you!
This is a great list, thanks for compiling it for us newbies! :)

I don't know how to make a button either so would be interested to know!

In relation to posting daily, I have read mixed opinions - some people feel that daily or twice-daily posts can sometimes be a bit overwhelming for your readers. e.g. if they go away or are busy for a few days, then they may end up 15 posts behind! Just something to think about, I am certainly no blogging expert at the ripe young blog age of 3 months! :)
Anonymous said…
This came in the nick of time, just as I was considering Google AdSense, lol! Thanks for the tips!

(I'm not doing the AdSense thing, btw ;))
Kate Weber said…
I've been on this site for months and just barely came across this post! Great tips! I think they are all very true!

Especially the side bar stuff. If a blog has way too many sidebar gadgets, it gets distracting and I will usually end up leaving the site to follow one of their gadgets. Not good for the blogger...

Simply Kate
Alyssa said…
Thank you for the tips! This is very insightful!
Sinea Pies said…
I need help developing the pages on my Blogger blog. How do I make them like the homepage where each entry can have comments following, linky thumbnails, etc? It apparently can be done but my extra pages are static. Any direction would be very appreciated.
Unknown said…
extremely useful tips, thanks alot for this ;)
Thank you sooo much for this post. There are things I´m doing from my nature, but there are also very worthy tips which I will follow. :) LG Tina
Sarah said…
Fantastic tips guys! I'm new to blogger and any help and advice is always very much appreciated!

Keep up the good work!

-Sarah
thepear said…
fun and informative site.....thanks for promoting community amongst bloggers! I love blogging, it helps me get through the crazies of life!
Amanda said…
I just posted my first blog about a week ago. I've been searching for some tips on how to make it attractive to the readers. I can honestly say that these tips are really helpful. Thanks a lot. I'm gonna join this community of bloggers. :)
Jen said…
these tips are wonderful and so is this site! i'm very glad that i found you and to now be part of the community!! happy blogging!
Melissa Ivette said…
I love your blog! I will be subscribing & posting your button on my blog! :)
Cropped Stories said…
I'm a new blogger. This post was very helpful! Thanks a bunch.
Unknown said…
This is a really wonderfully handy blog. I'm kinda just starting out, so hoping for the best. :)

I think that using Twitter, Facebook and other social networks can really promote your blog. Also, the My Blog app on Facebook is quite handy. (http://apps.facebook.com/bloglovin/fb/?ref=nf)

My friends once complained about the length of my posts and also the design, so maybe you should also ask around to see what people think.

Have fun blogging, peepz! :)

have-my-way.blogspot.com
Sailor July said…
Great list! Here a few of the bloggy rules I follow...

Do not follow someone JUST for a giveaway or JUST for a follow back. Follow because you like them and their blog.

Try to keep instant music players OFF of your blog. OR keep the music player but make sure there's setting that you can select, so that the music does NOT start playing until the reader wishes to hear it.

And finally, while some of us may write short little posts, some of us DO write long posts as well. Like me. I am quite wordy! Do what's comfortable for YOU!
Unknown said…
thanks for the tips, i need all the help i can get.
These are great tips! Some of them seem kind of like "duh!", but I guess some people just need extra guidance!
These tips are great! I'm relatively new to blogging so I plan to take all of this into consideration. Thank you for putting it out there!
hoosiergirl said…
GREAT tips!!! Clicked on quite a many blogs through your site today!!!

Thanks for posting!!!
Sassy said…
Wow. Thank u so much. These were FANTASTIC tips for a new blogger like me! Now, i need to figure out how to make a button......xo
Bloggerifichick said…
Thank you so much for posting this, it has really helped me.
Great tips. Thank you for sharing. I think you guys are just fabulous. You are giving us new bloggers a platform to connect with one another and learn from each other.

I really love you guys.

Thank you!
So many helpful tips on here. Where did you guys go? I used to love this blog!
click kare said…
Hello brother, I am very happy to read your information, you have written this post very well and explained it very well.

दुनिया का सच्चा धर्म कौन सा है

Popular posts from this blog

Hello! I'm still alive. How's everyone?!

hi my lovely bloggers! how are you!? I hope you're following on twitter , so that I can re-tweet your blog posts! in the meantime, i'm working on something new......stay tuned and get ready for a nice new blog community site here! xoxo

New Website : come say Hi!

I think the last time we posted we said we were working on some things and left y'all hanging.....sorry! I bet you are all doing well, still blogging and I'm definitely interested in hearing from you. With so many working mama's, from home to side hustles, I decided that I would make coffee addict mama somewhat similar to FTLOB! If you're free to come check it out, comment and say HI! I'd love to pick up from where we left off. XOXO

Sign The Pledge

Good Afternoon Lovely Members! Over one hundred of you Signed The Pledge and We Think that is spectacular. The page is filled with amazing blog lovers who deserve to be checked out. Go to this page to read these comments on signing the pledge and know that these people take pride in their blogs- they are so deserving of your love. In an effort to keep this going and make a difference here in blog land, we are bringing the pledge to this page so the comments don't get too overwhelming. We would recommend checking everyone out who signs because they have the same goals and etiquette as we do. So as far as being true to yourselves, your blogs and your friends, we know that these are the blogs we can go to for authenticity. For those that already signed, you don't have to sign here-Now for all of you new members who have yet to sign, here it is: I solemnly swear to participate in as many hops and features here at FTLOB to grow my blogging experience but ultimately to gain a