Let’s face it…
We’ve all been deceived.
Once upon a time, we looked at blogging and thought, “Oh, I can do that. Writing a few posts a week? Piece of cake.” From the outside, it looks so simple, so easy, so fun, and so we rushed off to start a blog of our own.
But then we get a rude awakening:
This stuff is complicated. Blogging isn’t so much about writing blog posts as juggling dozens of little odds and ends, all of them important, all of them demanding your attention, and all of them requiring you to learn something.
And it’s easy to drop the ball, so to speak, or even all of them. Not because you want to neglect anything, but because it’s too much to keep track of.
What you really need is a checklist of sorts – an itemized breakdown of everything you need to do to transform your blog and dazzle your readers. That way, you can stop trying to handle everything all at once and just go through it one step at a time.
So, that’s what I created for you. Here are 58 blogging tips, along with some links to help you learn how to do them well.
Enjoy. 🙂
The Basics
1. Move to self-hosted WordPress, if you haven’t already. Yes, you can build a popular blog on WordPress.com or Blogger.com, but there are lots of reasons to move your blog to your own host, including having more control and looking more professional. (Note from Jon: for newbie bloggers, I recommend SiteGround (affiliate link). If your blog is already gaining some traction, WP Engine (affiliate link) is a good premium option.)
2. Are you in the right niche? If you make it too narrow you’ll struggle to build a large audience. Make it too wide, and you’ll find it really hard to stand out.
3. Rework your tagline. Your tagline needs to tell your readers who the blog is for, what it offers them and what makes it special (think unique selling proposition – USP). Clear is always better than clever.
4. Set up Akismet. It’s a plug-in that helps you eliminate comment spam. Most hosts include it by default, but you still need to set it up and get it going.
5. Schedule regular backups. You never know when your blog might get hacked, and the best defense is scheduling regular backups using a plug-in like BackWPup.
6. Create an ideal reader profile. If you know who your target audience is and write every post with them in mind, your results will improve significantly!
7. Develop a basic Editorial Calendar. Jot down the type of posts (list, interview, reader question, personal, epic, etc.) and fill in post ideas. This is fairly simple to do, and it keeps your content regular and flowing.
Improving your blog’s usability
8. Showcase a clutter-free design. Nothing sends your readers running faster than being greeted by a cluttered, tacky or spammy feel. Make a great first impression by with a stunning, clean and professional design and improve your website trust factor instantaneously.
9. Link to the archives. We would all like to believe our readers browse through the archives of our blog, but the reality is, they don’t. You need to remind them. In every new post, try to link to at least three or four old posts, sending your readers back in time to read your best work.
10. Display a list of your most popular posts. Showcase your best work and impress the heck out of first time visitors.
11. Position your opt-in form in a prominent position. People often hide their subscription form and then complain that nobody subscribes. Make it very easy for people to find your sign-up form. Top right on your sidebar or just above your main navigation bar are two good places.
12. Create a contact page. As soon as you start getting traffic, some of your readers will want to get in touch with you, so create a contact page and use a plug-in like Contact Form 7 to make getting in touch with you easy.
13. Show your social media profiles. Encourage visitors to connect with you on social media. This builds trust and deepens the connection.
14. Perfect your About Me page. This is the most frequently visited page of your blog after your home page. It also has the longest shelf life. It’s worth really looking at how others have done it, and then to make yours as professional and well thought out as possible. You certainly don’t want people bouncing off this page. They need to subscribe to updates then and there.
15. Have clear guidelines for guest posting. If you want to attract quality posts from other bloggers, have a section with detailed advice on the requirements and the process.
16. Add a sign up form after every post. Remind your readers that they should sign up to get your latest updates and special offers. People are distracted. They have tons on their minds. If you don’t remind them to sign up and make it very simple, they won’t do so.
Integrating Social Media
17. Display social share buttons. Again… If you don’t make it simple for people to recommend or share your work, chances are absolutely zero that they’ll do so. Make it really easy for them to participate.
18. Focus on and master one social platform. Instead of trying to be everywhere, attempt to do one well. Excellent results on one social network trumps mediocre results on five.
19. Schedule promotions for your own posts. Sign up for a free Hootsuite account and pre-schedule Tweets or Facebook updates.
About your content…
20. Maintain an idea file. Always be on the lookout for new blog post ideas. And have someplace where you can easily record them to refer back to later. Use Evernote as an online catch-all for writing ideas.
21. Maintain a decent posting frequency. Posting every day is a silly strategy and you need to follow the 80-20 rule. Spend 20% of your time creating content and 80% promoting it.
22. Conduct surveys. At one point or the other, you’ll be struck by writer’s block. Ask your audience what they want to read about. They might surprise you.
23. Learn from the best. I don’t care what anyone says, content is still king. Make sure your content doesn’t suck. Otherwise, your subscriber count might be stuck on single digits — indefinitely.
24. Hone in your headline writing skills. Your headline can make or break your blog post. It doesn’t matter how great your content might be — if your headline sucks, no one will ever know of its greatness. So, make your headlines great. Add power words drenched in emotion. Add sensory words overflowing with imagery. Make prospective readers and subscribers think: I have to read that, right now!
25. Start every post with an irresistible introduction. Draw your reader down into the rest of the post. Get them from one sentence to the next, working their way through your post. If people aren’t even reading, none of the other good benefits will come.
26. Make your writing screen-friendly. Take a step back and see how your writing looks — visually. Pretty it up by adding sub-headings, bulleted points, numbered lists, images and lots of white space. Make it easy on the eyes.
27. Incorporate effective communication principles in your writing. Clarity, conciseness, and connection: they make the world go round.
28. Show off your personality. Develop your personal writing voice. Dare to be a little different. Don’t try and sound like everyone else. This will help you seem less boring.
29. Tell stories. Captivate your audience instantly.
30. Add a call to action to every post. What do you want your reader to do? Give it a powerful ending. If you inspire people to act, they will see results and love you for encouraging them.
31. Create link bait. Give people reasons to link to you… Epic posts. Huge list posts. Interviews. Reviews of other (popular!) bloggers’ work and products. One successful link bait post can bring you traffic and subscribers for years.
32. SEO friendly content. Write for humans first, and they’ll make sure that your content ranks well for search engines. Win win.
33. Engage with your community. Aim to increase the number of comments on your posts every time you write one.
34. Have fun with content syndication. Submit your content to various content syndication sites like Alltop. These sites can be good sources of targeted and engaged readers.
35. Be consistent in your guest posting strategy. You don’t have a strategy, you say? How on earth do you plan to grow your list? If you can’t get people to come over to you, it only makes sense to go where they are. Devise a strategy.
Forming strong connections
36. Follow blogs in your niche. Your blog is not an island. You can’t do it alone. You have to find your tribe and become a part of it. Find your people or remain invisible.
37. Comment on other bloggers’ posts. Be strategic about it. Be smart. Know what you want to gain from your efforts. If you said traffic only, you’re in the doghouse. Quality connections are just as important.
38. Reach out to A-list bloggers via email. Keep it short and tell them why you appreciate their work. Ask how you can help them (not the other way around).
39. Follow them on social media. No brainer.
40. Link to them. Duh!
41. Interview them. Ask them to answer a few questions on a topic they’re passionate about. When they’re committed advocates for some cause, it’s hard for them to say no.
42. Ask for a guest post. Only after you’ve developed a meaningful connection with them and know their blog and audience intimately, pitch them a great idea. But be sure to do your homework first.
43. Ask them to share a post published on your own blog. Only after your guest post has done really well, or you have guest posted multiple times. Only when your post is your best work, and will really resonate with their audience. There aren’t any exceptions.
Monetization
44. Build your email list. First, attract the right kind of traffic to your blog. Then impress them with your savvy, knowledgeability and generosity, and guess what? They’ll subscribe.
45. Offer a subscribe incentive. Give new subscribers free access to an ebook or report they can’t refuse. Make it super useful. Make it a killer. Give them something they’ll want to read (not something you think they should read).
46. Do consultations. The best way to find out what your readers want to buy is to get on the telephone and do some good old-fashioned consulting. Listen to their problems, and then try out different solutions. Soon, you’ll find a common problem and a solution that seems to work for everybody. That’s when you know you have promising product idea.
47. Create a hire me page. You’re running a business, so start acting like you are. Add a hire me page for all to see. Don’t be shy about this. Use your blog to build your business.
48. Get and display testimonials. Back up what you offer by positive feedback from past and present customers.
49. Be careful with advertising. Only display ads on your blog if the income is too good to refuse. If you do, keep the ads relevant to your audience.
50. Consider affiliate marketing. When you’ve reached the point where you actually have a substantial list, it might make sense to recommend quality products that will solve some of your audience’s problems.
51. Venture into creating your own products and running continuity programs. Multiple money-making income streams… The name of the game.
Developing a success mindset
52. Find mentors. Even the self-appointed ones who have no clue that they’ve taken this role work fine.
53. Invest in your online business education. Coaching, classes, courses, training, events, ebooks — whatever works for you. Keep doing it.
54. Shift strategies — evolve. It’s OK to change things as you grow. Your blog isn’t static. It’s constantly evolving, just like you are.
55. Be persistent — and consistent. You don’t have a choice.
56. Celebrate your wins. A few Facebook likes. A couple of retweets. A comment here and there. A guest post invitation by a popular blogger. 70 email subscribers in a day. Orders pouring in. Being completely booked out… You get the drift. Celebrate your positive moments to keep yourself motivated.
57. Thank your advocates and fans. You’re here today because of them. Don’t forget that.
58. Have fun! Be unforgettable.
And that’s a wrap!
I know, it’s a long, long list, but there’s also a bit of a silver lining at the end of the rainbow here. The good news?
You don’t have to juggle forever
Yes, blogging is a lot of work. Yes, it’s complicated. Yes, it’s overwhelming.
But it gets easier.
As you check off the items above, you’ll slowly have less and less to do. One by one, you’ll be snatching balls out of the air and putting them down forever.
Sure, there are a few types of tasks like creating great content and forming strong connections that you’ll always be doing, but you can check off at least half of the items on this list once and for all, never having to worry about them again. Or at least, not for a while.
And the best part?
You now have links to all the resources you need to help you do it. So, get to work, start checking those babies off, and make 2013 the year when you become a blogging superstar!
Really useful points thanks, will be putting some into practice right away!
Thanks Heidi. Curious to know which ones caught your eye.
Marya
Me too Heidi, I’m going to rework my tagline and put something more explanatory. Narrowing a niche in my own opinion and experience is a lot better because you can actually expand from there.
But when your niche is too wide, it’d be difficult to compress your ideas to suit the target audience. Thank you Jan for this awesome list post.
Hey Marya, thanks the post.
Great style, ‘Morrow Opening’, epic long list, great ending. What more could you expect!
I especially like the Making Connections part, it’s surely the most under-rated aspect of blogging and something I’ve got to work on.
Lukas, I totally know what you mean. especially for someone who is an introvert like myself, forming connections takes a lot of work. I don’t chit chat on social platforms and take forever to establish a meaningful connection. It’s not easy!
Thanks for your appreciation. I learn from the best. 😉
We can say in one word. killer post by Marya Ma’m. thanks for sharing informative article for beginner and professionals as well.
Hi Marya,
Great Post, I especially like #33. Engage with your community. I believe that when we as bloggers focus on the relationship first then let their audience guide then on right path. For example you can create a product that you will be sure that you list will by if you engages them in the product creation process, ie..
You start giving out valuable content and steadily building your list them when you hit whatever number that you think is sufficient (like 1,000 subscribers) then you carry out a survey asking them what kind of product that they would like you to create for them. You offer a discou8nt to all the subscribers that help you create the beta version then release it on your list. That way you can have a profitable launch that your list wants with the least amount of guesswork and capital people usually spend when they decide to create a product before they know what their customers want.
sorry about the length of the comment 😉
You are spot on, Hugues. Building an audience, then asking them about their needs, then developing and testing – that’s the way to go. Most people do product launches first and then wonder why nobody buys. Market research is crucial.
Thanks for your comment. The longer the better. 😉
I have one word for this post – GOLD!
Seriously – these are some awesome eye-opening strategies. I just started a new blog and will be putting many of these to work right away.
Thank you for listing everything in detail. Bookmarked this to help me “check off” things as I move along.
One question – is there a plugin you can recommend for inserting an email signup form at the bottom of each post that would integrate with Aweber?
Hey Bryan,
I actually don’t use Aweber so I can’t say. Maybe Jon can make a recommendation?
Thanks for your words of appreciation. Means a lot! 🙂
Superb list Marya,
Here i am going to share some love with my newbie fellow bloggers.
Hope this post will guide him a lot..
Thanks for this epic Post.
Thank you Amit. Hope they will get much use out of it. Cheers
Super Post Marya!
“Are you in the right niche?” was probably one that hit home most because your entire blog business relies on this.
“If you make it too narrow you’ll struggle to build a large audience. Make it too wide, and you’ll find it really hard to stand out.” Again, getting the right balance is tough!
Lovely post
Thank you for your kind words, Peteni. I really appreciate it. 😀
Marya, thanks, this is a wonderful list. Of course I’ve heard much of the advice before but being hit over the head with this comprehensive yet concise list really helped a few things to jump out at me.
I want my list to grow, so your points about guest posting and adding an opt-in at the bottom of every post really grabbed me. As well as the ones about creating a profile of your ideal reader, adding a contact form and a ‘hire me’ button. Great stuff, thanks!
Hey Julie. It is amazing what you can do after you have created some ideal reader personas. You start to look at your calendar from a whole new perspective. Thanks for sharing the tips that grabbed you in particular. Have a great day! 😀
That’s a hum dinger of a list there Marya & one worth a share 😉
Thanks for this great resource Marya. As I’m learning, there’s a surprising number of things to juggle. At this point, I’m going to zero in on your content suggestions. I will be referring to this list daily 🙂
I still think that content is king (although a king needs his army as well) so no arguments here. Good luck Sheila. 🙂
This a wonderful comprehensive list for first-time bloggers and great reminders for experienced bloggers.
Developing a ‘success’ mindset is important when you start a blog. If you’re a Negative Nelly or Negative Ned, you won’t get anywhere. Also, remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. It could take you six months or one year to build your blog and relationships with blog owners. Don’t worry, it will happen. Enjoy the journey and learn anything and everything you can along the way.
Happy blogging!
Hi Amanda
You made a great point. I think developing a success mindset is crucial if one wants to grow. Moreover, I think most new bloggers (or they ones who have been blogging for a while) don’t realize that it takes time to build a blog – like every other business. People look at A-list bloggers and think of them as overnight successes – which we all know is not true.
It also takes time to develop meaningful relationships. And to show that you truly value it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Have a great day! 🙂
I realized that there are a lot of things I have never paid much attention to. I will definitely put some of the tips into action. Thank you.
My pleasure. 🙂 Cheers.
Marya,
I’d kiss your feet if I could.
As a professional pilot who goes through several checklists before I get to the end of the runway, I appreciate what you’ve done here.
I’m launching a new website soon. Many of the items in your list are done. But I see some that need attention. Will print and start to check them off.
Safe flying. Many thanks.
Hey Jim,
Thanks for your kind words. I feel special hearing them! 🙂
Hey, have you read The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande? I would recommend it highly if you haven’t already. The insights from the medical and aviation world are fascinating.
Again thanks for dropping by.
Hi Marya, thank you for this awesome post. This is a great “checklist” for those of us who are just getting started. Now that I have a layout that I can live with (at least for now… sure it will be tweaked later), I’m turning my attention to #44 and #45.
Best,
Corey
Corey, I think building your email list is something you should be doing from day one. A freebie is always a nice bonus. Jon’s Headline Hacks is fabulous. Have you checked out mine? 😉
Thank you for this great list! I keep a running To-Do list in Evernote and now I just added a ton of stuff to get done this week!
I really like your point about asking A-list bloggers about what you can do for them. I did this once and the blogger was so surprised he just said, “I don’t know but thank you for the offer”.
I can’t live with Evernote. There, I said it.
Good you see you getting responses from your outreach efforts. Keep going …
Totally great post Marya. This is perfect for beginners to really see the flow of setting up a great blog. If you pay attention it really is a step by step blueprint of building up a successful blog.
Also the last section of Developing A Success Mindset is so necessary and something I’d even say needs to come even before everything else. Keep it rocking!!
Thanks for leaving a ‘rocking’ comment, Brian. I totally agree that getting clear on your goals and developing the right mindset forms the foundation of everything you do in life and it holds true for blogging as well.
“Step by step blueprint of building up a successful blog”. Ooh – I like that! 😀
Great post. There are some really good tips here for establishing yourself in the blogging world. Great content is the start, but there’s a lot more to follow!
No arguments from my side, Matt. Thanks.
Thanks for a comprehensive list. I’ve had my blog for a year and I can now see where I need to put my efforts rather than doing the same thing over and over.
That was the whole point of writing it Marianna. Glad you found it useful. Cheers.
This is a pretty rad roundup and I’m saving it into Evernote to make it required reading for my clients! Thanks so much. Really…this is a rare gem.
Thank you Heather. So kind of you. 🙂
Brilliant list! I particularly like 26 “Screen friendly” and 36 “Your blog is not an island”.
Thanks for sharing your insights, Marya.
Do I EVER wish I’d had this list when I started! I jumped in with both feet and zero clues, and have learned it centimeter by centimeter (sometimes micrometer by micrometer). And STILL have lots of room to grow. As a confirmed list junkie, I really appreciated your thorough collection of marketing wisdom. Sharing now. Thanks for this!
Your headline is what drew me in this morning. Thanks for setting a good example. Your headline hacks have been really useful. After only receiving 14 hits with one of my posts, I changed my headline and within a few hours I had over 100. Not bad for two month old blog. Thanks again!
Good one J man,
Way to start off the year.
Analytics question.
Have you noticed more and more traffic in organic seo sourced from “(not provided)”?
it’s like google doesn’t want to share what was searched to find your page for some reason.
The biggest issue is its the traffic that stays the longest and views the most pages.
Is it just me?
In analytics
Check Traffic Sources/ Sources/ Search/ Organic
Are you seeing the same thing?
This is your best post yet!
Every point relevant, helpful, important for success.
You nailed it.
When I look at the list it looks intimidating, yet I realize in the course of a couple years I’ve done most of these items. Having this list at the start of my blogging as intimidating as it might be, it would have made it easier.
We need an over view of what we are doing – that’s what you provided. Thanks.
Absolutely awesome reference list! It’s nice to have a “checklist” to not forget anything. Thank you! PS Your hostgator affiliate link isn’t working, I may just sign up to switch my hosting! 🙂
Thanks for sharing this valuable and insightful information on blogging. I will be adopting many of these elements into my blog and know it will be better for it.
Shelly
missing link on list item 5
This is an awesome list! Thanks so much!
LOVE #53. Invest in your online business education.
I can’t tell you how many people forget this. Invest $50K in university and get a piece of paper. Invest $50K in your own personal development and become priceless.
Jim Rohn said it best => “We get paid based on the value we bring to the marketplace”.
Mike, this is what I live by: Always have a beginner’s mind, always be learning and teach to learn even more. Wonder why so many people think they can achieve everything without getting an education.
This list is a “keeper”! I’m getting the editorial calendar out of my head and onto a calendar – duh!!! thanks for the kick in the pants 🙂
This is one thing I plan to do this year. PLAN MY CONTENT.
Summer, I need to listen to my own advice. ;
Nice post. There are not enough ‘nuts and bolts’ posts like this one out there.
It made me realize that you are like ‘SOS Piet”. Readers from Belgium will realize right off what I mean. Piet Huisentruyt used to be a michelin star chef who had a restaurant in the south of France. He lost his star. Fortunately for him he developed as a TV chef. His block buster show ‘SOS Piet” is where he comes to your house to fix a recipe you are having problems with. It is a interesting show because usually what is wrong is not the recipe per se but the basic ‘nuts and bolts’ cooking knowledge which most recipe books don’t tell you about. He is now the most famous and most wealthy chef in Belgium. Like Piet both in your blog and in your Guest Blogging course you have a genius for illuminating ‘nuts and bolts’ stuff that few others talk about.
What a great post! On February 1st I’m going to completely revamp my blog and I think I just found the perfect post to help me to that. 🙂
Thanks, Dean. Wow … and best of luck!
Great post. I was a little surprised on the 80-20 rule though. I never heard of it before and I seem to be doing just the opposite 🙂
I spend most of my time on creating the content. I will look into new ways of promoting it and see what happens!
Fabulous-Insightful Post.
I am not sure where to begin!
I’d LOVE to quit my day job and blog all day long.
Thank You!
Please don’t! Not yet anyway, not until your blog is fully supporting you … 😉
And start with the basics. Get the foundation right and everything else will fall into place. Good luck!
You asked someone above which point they liked the best. Mine would be the “ever evolving.” The trouble is, my primary one is very, very narrow (and needs to remain that way).
(And that reminds me I have some material to dust off, revamp, and use as an incentive. Material that still applies, yet has references to sites that no longer exist – even if the strategies do.)
So I think it’s time to start another (my 4th, and you know what happens if you spread yourself too thin, nothing gets done in a timely fashion), but nevertheless it’s the only way I can see “to up my game.”
Thanks for the list!
Wow! Excellent tips. I really like the point you made about celebrating your wins and that you don’t need to post everyday. I’m learning with me my strengths with my blog tend to be with interviews.
I’m lucky enough to have a successful blog now with considerable traffic. This is the list I would have liked to have years ago. Great job!
Hi! I always wanted to move to WordPress and I do know the exact process to follow. But as I am a college student I decided to carry-on with Blogger, lack of time you know. I have 1200+ page-views a day. But unfortunately my earnings have gone down unexpectedly to about less than half of what I used to earn.
Will migration to WordPress help me in any way?
Hi Marya,
I agree that it takes time to develop meaningful relationships. You want to put your best foot forward and ask, “How may I help?” Adding value and being approachable are important.
Great informative blog. Please keep it going as it is a wonderful learning tool for newbies such as myself. Thank you very much. Have A Great Day!
Marya,
Thank you for a thoughtful and well put together article. One concept I tend to deviate from is the “post sparingly” concept, due to the fact that I run a music blog. I tend to post approximately 5 times a day, filtering through the countless songs put out each day. Do you feel that this rule applies only to certain lanes within the blogging community?
Hi Michell
If you publish content on a ‘newsy’ blog then you may need to update quite frequently. Most news sites employ a staff to people to cope up with this kind of content demands.
However, for most service based professionals and solopreneurs, once a week is a pretty good posting frequency. It just depends on the kind of blog you are running.
Appreciate you replying! Great to be able to learn from your perspective.
Hi Marya,
Wow, what a great post. Came across it just by chance and I am so glad I found it. It is one of the best posts I have read in a long time.
You have given me so much food for thought. I definitely have to make a lot of changes on my blog.
I actually subscribed to your newsletter, downloaded your ebook 9 New Rules of Blogging and I am looking forward to your emails.
All the best,
Dita
Hi Marya!
This is great advice, but I still have one question to ask. You mentioned this:
> Spend 20% of your time creating content and 80% promoting it
What do you actually mean by promoting it – how would you do it? Can you share any examples?
Cheers,
Timo
Useful tips. thank you
This was an awesome list! It’s so great to see it all in one place and with links to resources as well. Thanks for this, it’s super helpful for beginners like me and it kind of feels like it’s giving me direction and a place to start. Even though the list is really long, it’s actually not overwhelming to look at it in this format.
Well done Marya! This post has received the honor of “frequent review of awesome cool stuff to do…should you NOT be an idiot blogger”.
Sage advice on all counts.
Regards,
Eric
For me, the best advice there is to cultivate the folk who email you. They have a question? So… they haven’t paid you money yet? No matter. I try to go back to everyone, thoughtfully. And I don’t hard sell.
And folks come back.
I’ve built a little on-line writing course that way from nowhere into a six-figure business, over three years, working by myself at home. It works!
Some great new ideas + good to know I’ve ticked off at least a few items already! (Phew!) Thank you so much for saying ‘trying to post every day is a silly strategy’ – what a relief and I like the reminder of the 80:20 ratio (in favour of promotion).
Things I’m following up now as a result: rewriting About page, creating a hire me page, link baiting. Thanks!
Thanks for your generosity, such great advice. I’ll definitely be putting many of your tips into practice!
Great resource list! Thanks for sharing.
This is so gooood. It is like a course on blogging.
Thank you very much Marya, I know some of this stuff but I can always keep relearning and learning new stuff as well.
Thanks for this. Several useful ideas (I made a list of 9). The beauty of this post is that is a grab bag. It’s so massive (and organized) that one look inside offers many new/valuable things for almost anyone. Perhaps, that’s a new type of post: The Grab Bag Post.
Thanks a lot for sharing
When I saw the figure 58, I was skeptical. Now that I’ve read all 58, I’m impressed.
Writing nearly three score pointers for creating a great blog is a task most would have completed with more than a few vague throw away points, but Marya crafted each item to be concise and valuable.
The organization of the tips had a logical flow that grew from basics to experienced and then on to ambitious. Thanks for such a fine example of great content!
Marya, I really appreciate what you say here about “forming strong connections” and following “your tribe.” Sometimes we forget that blogs are about CONVERSATION and not monologue. It’s so important to develop relationships with other blogs in your niche. Since our blog is focused on an audience of women who fish, we are the o-fish-al definition of niche, but through social media and sharing relationships, we’ve been growing our readership!
Just when I thought it was safe to goof off a bit, along comes this post. Shows just how much I’m not doing.
Thanks for the nudge.
Great post Marya! thanks. What made it so good for me is the sheer comprehensiveness – the reminder that you need to keep several plates in the air. I have been reviewing a similar list for my own work every few months, what you did was make it explicit and actionable.
I referenced your article on my site also, I hope thats OK, its on the trackback list below
Amazing, amazing post. I’m just starting my own blog and can’t express how invaluable this list is going to be. Amazing timing on your behalf 😉
Thank you for writing this! So many useful tips that even seasoned bloggers might forget.
Hey Marya. That’s a well put piece of article. Congrats.
I was actually missing the Social Sharing buttons on my blog and you reminded me of that. 🙂
Thanks a lot.
Wow. What an excellent article. We have been working hard on our site for 3 years, and we have done about 30 of your suggestions. So, back to the grind stone for us. I wish there had been a list like this 3 years ago. I really appreciate this insight, and am anxious to fix the remaining items. Thanks
This is really a huge post. I know that you took a great effort to create this wonderful stuff. Useful and well written. Really interesting.
Some great advice and I look forward to putting many of the ideas into practice. It seems that the best way is to follow some of the basic rules and just do it – blog again and again and again.
These were very good pointers, I will see what is applicable to my blog, and try it out. Thank you for such a good resource.
Thanks a lot. Such a useful information!! Really helpful, I hope to improve my blog with the help of your wonderful tips 🙂
Increasing traffic is the first wish of every blogger. Every blogger try its own ways to increase traffic. ideas shared in this article are very useful you must use them. or try some more from here.
http://weblyzone.com/how-to-increase-readers-and-traffic-on-your-blog
sir/mam
my name is nani i have just creating new blogger i want to improve my website but i dont have knowledge pls any bady can sent to my mail id what are the basics components
nice tips…just blogwalking
thanks
Thanks for writing the tips above. As a newbie this article is very useful for me.
I totally agree with what you say. These 58 tips have helped me a lot in building my blog. Thumbs up for this post! 🙂
thanx 4 e tips.. 🙂
nice tips,,very interesting one ,, ;0
good job… may ALLAH BLESS YOU…. INSYAALAH2X
Man that is huge, but really help a lot. Do read it carefully and it benefit much for me
Hi thanks for this awesome article now i got some ideas to improve my blog
No words to say how useful tips . really slowly impressed me thanks you very much
Awesome tips!!!
You never missed anything. A must follow tips for all newbie bloggers. 🙂
Great advice for both beginner and veteran bloggers alike Marya, definitely worth a share.
Bloggers, please take a few minutes to fill out this short survey…http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DV2958N
Many thanks
Thanks for sharing these wonderful tips.
I have three areas of interest which I’ve divided into three blogs
1) Chowmiaow – my main blog – oldest and with the largest following which share my opinions, rantings, travel and shopping concentrating mostly on Mumbai city.
2) Foodities – my food blog which shares recipes, restaurant reviews and opinions on food
3) Nappy Tales – my most recent blog which shares my experiences with child rearing.
I love blogging and want to increase my traffic to all my sites.
I will definitely try and do what you suggest.
Hey Marya; list is so lengthy but equally useful; one need not to swallow all the points in one-go but apply them gradually and in a logical manner. You are right once someone followed all the tips then blogging will become quite easier for him. I personally think if someone pass the toughest first year of blogging then the reaping season starts gradually. Thanks Maria,God bless you
I think I have really come on the right place for getting the perfect info.
Thanks for sharing nice article. Bloggers should implement these tips to their blog.
I need to blog more, and these tips are very helpful. Thanks for sharing!
I recently wrote an article on WorkingKind.com and it’s about how to make money on your blog without using ads. Here’s the link:
http://workingkind.com/2013/10/add-bling-to-your-blog/
When choosing a creative topic to blog about, try and find a niche. Make our blog about something very specific and we’ll please both the search engines and our readers. Try not to be too general and really focus on one specialist topic and stick to it. Find our own niche and go for it and just remember to stay on topic.
Tks a lot for sharing all this tips. Very useful!!
Great information for a new blogger like me…have to put in lot of hard work. Thanks for sharing.
-nithyascorner-
http://nithyascorner.com
This is some awesome stuff and really great insights.
thanks for the info may be useful and we are waiting for the latest information.
That’s really a great information about blogging but that is a huge list and will try to implement your journey experience.
o…o… this is very helpfully…
great information…if i know english
mybe i can say many word
thanks for your valuable posting it was very informative. i am working inBest Crm Software Chennai
No doubt blogging platform is a great way of earning money and getting familiarity as well.. And here i find some useful points which can provide me in depth knowledge of blogging.. …Anyways Thanks for this beautiful piece of writing ..These strategies are the core of successful blogging for sure.. I am already using these strategies and having great success so far for my blog.. Hopefully we would some more new strategies over here at boostblogtraffic.com ..
“Start every post with an irresistible introduction”
I think this is the most important key factor for a successful post.
I am delighted to find an article that is helpful to build my blog
This is really interesting and informative article Marya. Thanks for sharing such an awesome article. It will help newbie as well as experienced blogger in their blogging journey.
Really I appreciate these cool tips that are quite useful to make your blog a traffic center. These are must follow tips that will make your blog a real brand.
Thank you for sharing such a knowledgeable information. I am new to blogging and thnx sir for providing tips
Killer article for Best SEO practices thanks Marya
It saves a lot my time to learn SEO only from one post.
good blog, this topic is really interesting, thanks for sharing, my contribution here.
Thank you for this informative post that you have in here. Actually, it is very helpful information to those investors.
Thank you for Sharing this informative Informations
Thanks for the tips!
I will apply as many as I can.
Do you know of a blogging course that teaches these in-depth?
Looking forward to the best one because I can’t wait to sharpen my ax.
Regards,
Jeremiah
Thank you Mary for this wonderful guide. Your article is very resourceful and filled with facts.
I implemented many of your strategies on my blog. Hope it will work out well for me.
Thanks again for sharing.
One of the most common questions I see involves a beginner blogger. By the way you explain nicely. This is a helpful and useful article. Every newbie blogger should follow every blogging strategy.
I suggest them that they should make their blogging schedule, means do all work a perfect time and follow routine for everyday for blogging, because it make your work daily whereby you will be crazy about your work.
They should always keep remember in mind their content is a king and title is queen like without beautiful queen that king is incomplete. Make a attractive title.
Your regular reader…….