A lot of my subscribers are fairly new bloggers (which, I suspect, is why they subscribe here – they don’t know any better).
Thank you, new subscribers, for subscribing, however misguided you may be.
Formalities over and naming no names, I have noticed some common errors on my visits to your new blogs, and I thought I would give you some tips that I wish had been given to me early on in my own blogging career:
- Use no more than ten tags, including the category. Any more than that and search engines think you are spam and put you to the bottom of the list. Good tags encourage more hits. Failing that, they garner amusing searches which you can shamelessly turn into their own posts. Or is that just me?
- Break up paragraphs. It is difficult to read one huge block of text; people don’t have time to persevere or just can’t be bothered, and you might get hits because of your perfect tagging, but no possibility of a relationship with your visitors. Short paragraphs/bullet points/photographs/bold/italics all make your post more attractive and easier to read. Your mantra should be: Illustration Illustration Illustration. It is easy to upload your own photographs but if you don’t have any that are suitable, use Zemanta, to the right of your new post. Type in a key word for a royalty-free illustration.
- Interact with your readers. Respond quickly to comments and always return visits, leaving a friendly comment when you do. To begin with, it is worth having the Like and Comment Notifications sent to your email inbox; as you get busier you can turn it off again. As your blog grows and becomes more time-consuming, your regulars will know that you are busy like them, but you won’t ignore them.
- Use 140 character titles. Search engines like them. Get key words into the title. If you can’t make it relevant, make it interesting or amusing, to catch readers’ attention.
- Write right. Bad punctuation, spelling and grammar can be off-putting. If it’s not a skill of yours, sign up to blogs that offer tips; turn on the spell checker (but bee warned: it is not infallible); and read read read! Reading is the best way to improve your skills, find interesting topics to blog about, and to cultivate good blogging relationships.
- Link to other blogs. Links not only publicise those blogs you like (the only reason I do it, I swear), they encourage search engines to find you (a fortunate side-effect, that’s all).
- Learn to count. Readers get seriously annoyed if you promise them seven tips and only give six.
There are lots of other great tips, but these are the ones I think most important to new bloggers.
Here is a good link, which is in no way a shameful flatter of my WordPress masters in an attempt to get myself Freshly Pressed: sign up to The Daily Post; they send out all kinds of useful information.
Happy blogging! Remember who set you on the right path when you are a superblogger, and throw a link my way (no slighting the hand that reads you).
Good tips, would love some feed back from you on some of my posts 🙂
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Really?
🙂
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yes really 😀
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Most important tip, if you are as clever as Tilly: Make ’em laugh.
I love spoonerisms and your sign-off line was a cracker.
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🙂 x
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Generous Tilly!
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I always heard the sign language y’all use is different from ASL, but — sure wish I had two right hands so I could form at least the one word I’ve now learned! 😉
Just goes to show, y’all’s pronunciation is always more right than ours, even in sign.
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I learned just last week that there are two official English sign languages. That’s not at all complicated, is it?
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You mean two for the English Isles? There are more than that in the USA . . .
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I didn’t know that…
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Are you including Auslan in your count there Tilly? Or British Baby Sign?
There are two distinct dialects of Auslan. So I’m sort of guessing your count is a bit low.
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Okay, so now I’ve learned there are more than two dialects of sign language. Who knew?
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Very good tips from the Master (or Mistress) of Blogging.
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Excellent tips. Never knew about the 140 characters for titles
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I only read that recently but I think it makes sense.
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Good stuff, Tilly. I am a big fan of paragraphing also.
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You can’t whack a good paragraph, I find 😉
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ooh, I’ve just added my first pic via zemanta, thanks. Could be the first of many.
🙂
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Well done! 😀
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This is not just for newbies Tilly… It is also helpful to old timers! I would like to reblog this, I have lots of new bloggers who followed me recently! 🙂
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Be my guest! Thanks 😀
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thanks Tilly
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Pinned you on Better Blogging and Writing. http://pinterest.com/pin/147141112796380400/ Did not know the tip about short titles. So as always thank you, but not just for laughs.
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Thanks for pinning me again 😀
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So do you know how many links kill search engine interest. Cannot find where I read the limit on that?
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Good point! I’ll see what I can find out. Maybe it’s similar to the tags?
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I categorise and tag for my own benefit. If I turn up thanks to google it’s a happy accident. But yeah I use far too many.
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AS long as you’re happy with that, it doesn’t matter 🙂
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Tilly you are my blogging mentor so I can attest to your wonderful advice, you are a peach!
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I’ve never been anyone’s mentor before. Chuffed!
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You have helped me so much with advice, geat comments and reading you. You make an excellent mentor
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Reblogged this on laurieanichols.
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Thanks for the reblog!
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No problem!
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Tilly B., this post is great — you have put a finger to most of the biggest problems, and reminded me that I need to brush up on some basics. Thanks so much!
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Glad to help!
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I’ve been blogging for a while but thanks to a hacker I’m starting from scratch and building from the ground up. These are awesome tips and I’m definitely going to be using them this time around. Thanks! (Thanks for the info on the weekly photo challenge too! :-))
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That’s horrible! Perhaps you should write a post on how to avoid being hacked. I would read it 🙂
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That’s a fantastic idea! Quick question: Can I cross post this to my blog? Or would you be will to write something similar as a guest post? I have quite a few friends who are looking to get started with a blog of their own but are feeling very over-whelmed by the whole idea. I know that your blog but this post specifically would likely help the immensely! Just shoot me an email at:
lizze (at) mylifebeyondlabels (dot) com
and let me know what you think, please. 🙂
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I am a Swedish blogger and I have a lot about the “blogging life” in my blog. When I found this post of yours I really want to show that in my own blog with reference to you. I will use your English text too, but I naturally want to hear your comments about this “proposal” first. Please tell me and perhaps give me some instructions….
http://macilane.wordpress.com
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Hi Macilane and welcome!
I am happy for you to reblog or quote from the post, so long as you link back here. Thanks!
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ok!
I will inform and show you everything when I am ready with the page and the post in my block. Thanks a lot for your acceptance. 🙂
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Now I am done!
http://macilane.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/the-laughing-housewife/
Best wishes!
Macilane
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Thanks! That’s great 😀
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Good tips, Tilly! I especially like that hand sign showing the word BLOG. Lol. Too cute!
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It’s good, isn’t it? 🙂
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Write right. – thanks for this one .. *smile … great post – great tips.
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I’d also add to new bloggers the reminder that there are millions of blogs/bloggers in the mix. With all of us struggling for adequate time it simply takes awhile to develop a social circle, much like if we were all dropped into a huge cocktail party…circulation is important, but not everyone will feel comfortable with each person at the gathering! It takes time to just let that be…and then when it begins to happen, it’s so much fun! And thank you for The Daily Post recommendation, Tilly. I didn’t know a thing about it, but will now! 🙂 Debra
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That’s an excellent point!
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Poor beginners, your are such a bad example. When do I get a Malteser I am running out of insults?!
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Two new things here for me. Ta Tilly.
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Excellent!
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Great tips. I won’t read if the blog is more than 600-700 words. I took me a while to realize longer was difficult for others. Another tip is make your type large enough for the sight impaired. I can’t read type that is small.
Also, who knew I usually have a bunch of categories and no tags. Must be confusing for blogger?? Dianne
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you shouldn’t have to worry too much about the sight impaired – they will tell their browser what font, contrast and everything else.
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Never too late to pick up a trick or two, Tilly, and I’ve picked up three. Have a Malteser! 😀
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I rather think I will, thank you 😉
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Awesome. Thanks for the six and a half tips 🙂
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My pleasure 😀
Thanks for not minding about the other half 🙂
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Aaaah, what’s half a tip between blogging friends? 🙂
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I didn’t know about Zemanta – I now have it enabled on my dashboard – thanks for the tip! 🙂
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That’s great!
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Ha, I’m getting finger cramp from scrolling to the end of the comments….he he lol.
Thanks for the great tips Tilly. I admit I’m not sure what the 140 charactors thing is..being a newbie some terms are a bit foreign as yet. I’m still struggling to find my way around on this site at the moment. Learning, learning, learning.
Thanks for the great tips. I will certainly keep them in mind.
You’re right about the paragraph thing too. I’m a shocker when it comes to things that look “too meaty” I tend to tip toe away. Yeah I know, not good.
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Just like with Twitter or a text, the 140 characters is the total number of letters and spaces. So this comment has a total of 143 characters.
That comment above, I mean 🙂
It’s all a learning curve; the more you blog, the easier it gets.
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I didn’t know about the 140 character title, so thanks for the heads up; must check mine from now on. Lots of other useful tips too; thanks for a very helpful post.
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Glad to help 🙂
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Lovely post. Thank u…it is indeed a great help for new bloggers like me 🙂 Can you tell me how to reblog a post? I am still not able to figure it out. 😦
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It’s easy. Go to the black bar at the top of the post and there is a reblog button to click. A box will come up so you can add your own comment.
Good luck with your blogging career!
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Great tips Tilly!! It’s a wonder you haven’t been freshly pressed…oh wait.. there was that prompt thing.. and the… lol. 😉 Oh well it doesn’t matter your blog is still one of my favorites at least. 🙂
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I’m haunted by my past 😦
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I thought all six of your tips were excellent.
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Thank you; I hope they were useful 🙂
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This post is kinda awesome. I only say kinda because #1- I want to make myself seem much cooler and less uptight than I really am and #2 – Because the only thing better than you writing this post is you blogging on my behalf (smile).
Seriously though, thank you. I actually took out my notebook and wrote some of these down.
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Thank YOU! That’s quite a compliment 🙂
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Good info for all of us! Thanks for the link to the Daily Post. I didn’t know about it.
When you say link to other blogs, what do you mean?
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Mention them, including the links so people can click on them.
I like to do it anyway, to promote other blogs. I don’t accept awards so it’s my way of sharing the love. Any benefit is just a bonus, not the purpose.
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These are great tips! Thanks for sharing 🙂 It’s great to be reminded of such things even if I’ve been a blogger for more than a year now.
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A refresher course 🙂
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Very helpful! Thank you.
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You are most welcome 🙂
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I feel like a new blogger.
I didn’t know about Zemanta or the 140 character thing!
I absolutely agree with ‘breaking up the paragraphs’. It’s so difficult to take in one constant stream of writing. No matter how well written the post is, I’ll tend not to go back…
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My scrolling finger is numb in my endeavour to reach this box. My own fault since I am way behind with visiting this week, but hope to get back to my normal routine at the weekend. A suggestion from me is to think of your blog as an extension of your living room.Your blog posts are the invitations, when guests arrive, interact with them and they will want to come back again.
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I seem to have stumbled around in cyberspace and landed on Malteser. Obviously a planet inhabited by blogrites of the highest echelon – let the learning begin! I shall return to my corner of the blogosphere now, fully pumped, primed, and prepped for perfection in proper punctuation and posting. Oh, and don’t forget the platitudes. With attitudes. And alliteration.
But seriously, folks – this is very good information that I am grateful to you for sharing. I found this through this link: http://dailypost.wordpress.com/submit-my-morning-coffee/. From there I wandered around your blog until I landed here, and the rest is . . . . . .
(Do I get a Malteser now???)
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Hi LubbyGirl.
I’m sorry, I must have missed this comment when it first appeared. I don’t usually ignore my visitors for five months, I promise.
I love the idea of living on Planet Malteser. If I ever re-name my blog, I’ll send you a box 🙂
Hope you are enjoying blogging as much as I do.
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I wish you’d written this last Christmas when I started blogging, it would have been really helpful. Maybe you should make this a recurring blog post?
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I have a couple very silly questions. I’m a new blogger, and I can’t seem to figure out how to make my blog look pretty. 1. How do I use Zemanta for free illustration? 2. How do I link others’ blogs into my blog? Help, please? I can write all day long, but it’s no use if no one is interested enough to read it.
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Hi, Baywifey.
I must apologise: I’ve only just seen this comment, five months later.
Do you still need this advice or have you figured it out?
Thanks for visiting and sorry for ignoring you.
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Hey! I apologize too. I’ve taken an unexpected 7+-month hiatus from the blogging world. I definitely still need this advice as I plan to get a fresh start on my blog very soon. Thank you!
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It seems that you and I are slow, but we get there in the end! 😀
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Haha, I remember reading that daily prompt and you followed every single step on cue! Did it work for you? Did you get freshly pressed? If not, you should complain to the WP people.
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Never been Freshly Pressed yet.
Tory Boy says not to worry – it’s my unique selling point.
He’s a good son 🙂
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Reblogged this on Day One and commented:
Oh why oh why oh why didn’t I read this post at the start of my blogventures! My titles are over 140 characters long, I have been consigned to the spam bin forever for too many tags, and despite being a maths teacher, I am also Dyslexic & can’t count! Maybe I should just ‘Rip it up and start again?’
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Hi Barbara.
I seem to have missed an awful lot of comments on this post. Sorry to take four months to answer yours.
My tips are just advice and not set in stone. If you are happy with your blog, no need to listen.
🙂
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Lol, no worries, I forgot I had commented…… I was being a bit silly when I wrote it… but you made some good points, especially about not using too many tags!
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Thanks 🙂
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This blog post is very helpful! I’m a new blogger and getting traffic seems a bit overwhelming at times.
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Thank you.
Good luck with your new blog.
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so glad I found your blog site, i found it hard to stop once i started on the topmost one. 🙂 these are great tips, too. thanks for posting
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HI May.
Thank you for the compliment 😀
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I am so glad you know Laurie as I am coming over to see your blogging tips, what great tips! I have been blogging for three years and you have more followers and comments than I do….You go girl.
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I’ll be honest, I’ve worked hard at it 🙂
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Really useful pointers Tilly! Going over to my blog right now, to fix some of the errors you mentioned. Thanks for the tips 🙂 Have a happy weekend! 🙂
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I’m glad they help! You have a great weekend, too 🙂
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Tilly! Zemanta helped me more than I can tell you! Thank you so much for taking the time to help us newbies out. 🙂 I really appreciate it. 🙂 Lots of positivity coming your way!!
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That makes me feel good 😀
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