Blogging is a great way to express yourself, explore your passions, and build your own business. There are millions of blogs out there that cover every topic under the sun from fashion to finance. Each one has its audience and has the potential to make a real impression. They just need the right strategy! So, to help you make your blog a huge success, we’re sharing the ULTIMATE list of blogging tips for beginner bloggers and seasoned influencers alike.
Here’s how you can make your brand make an impact:
Ultimate List of Tips For Bloggers
New Blogger Tips
Develop your brand.
When starting a blog, one of the first things you need to do is develop your brand! If you establish your blog niche, name, voice, colors, logo, and mission from the start, you’ll have a strong image that’ll capture the attention of your target audience. You’ll grow much quicker than a blog that doesn’t know its identity yet! So, know who you are and how you’ll present yourself from the beginning.
Choose the right hosting service and platform.
To start a blog you need two things to get your content on the world wide web: a hosting service and a platform. Our top recommendation for a platform is WordPress, because it’s specially designed for bloggers, but you can read more options HERE.
For hosting services, there’s a lot more to consider. Speed, uptime, bandwidth, customer support, backups, security, web design, and more will all vary based on the platform and package. You can also check out our post on the best web hosting services to find your provider. However, some top companies for bloggers include SiteGround, DreamHost, and Bluehost.
Build a website and social accounts that work together.
Once you have your hosting services and platform, it’s time to build your website. We’ll get more into web design later. But once your website is created, you’ll need social accounts too! Your social media accounts and website will work together to promote one another and grow your blog. Make sure everything is branded consistently to make an impression on anyone traveling to your pages! (Bonus tip: Use a dedicated email for all of your blog-related accounts.)
Add Google Analytics to your site right away.
If you want to be setting yourself up for success (or absolute brand domination) from day one, make sure you integrate Google Analytics into your website. Google Analytics will give you all the necessary insights to see how your blog is working for you . . . and how it’s not. That way, you can develop the best growth strategy.
Get email subscribers.
As people gain interest in your content, start building out your email list! It’s not the only way to engage your followers and get website traffic, but it’s a good place to start. Try to send out an email newsletter weekly, marketing current and past blog posts! In addition, if you have any additional services or products, your email newsletter can advertise for those as well.
Track your income and deductible expenses.
If you’re going to be running your blog as a business (or, at least that’s the dream!) then you need to be tracking your income and deductibles. In most circumstances, if you make over $600 on your blog, you have to claim the income on your taxes. Luckily, there are lots of potential deductions from your start-up costs and regular blog expenses. Make a spreadsheet or use the Quickbooks Self-Employed app to keep it all organized. (See a tax professional for specific tax advice.)
Get an SSL Certificate.
An “SSL Certificate” is just an enhanced layer of security that keeps visitor information safe. Google will only promote your content if you have the certificate. Additionally, some users’ web browsers will warn them your site is unsafe if it doesn’t have the SSL Certificate. So, make sure to have that from the beginning. You can also learn more about this security measure HERE.
Writing Tips For Bloggers
Commit to regular posting.
Posting consistently keeps readers engaged and shows Google you’re an active website. Both are good, because it means you’ll get more traffic than other websites posting inconsistently or sparingly. Try to post at least once a week, but closer to 5 is best if you’re looking to grow quickly!
Make sure the posts include your unique voice.
There are millions of people out there who write blogs. So your blog needs to stick out from the crowd and sound completely original. The best way to find your voice is to take your natural vibe and dial it up to ten, so your unique personality comes out in every single post! We’ve also got a whole post on developing your blogging voice if you need more help.
Create dynamic blog titles.
Your blog titles have to be engaging and eye-catching for users on Google, users on your website, and users on social media to take an interest and click on the next page. Ensure your blog title summarizes your content, includes your voice, and is also around 60 characters long. (That’s the max words Google search engines will display on the results pages.)
Get your URL structure right.
URL structure is SO important, yet a lot of bloggers forget about it. The web addresses for your content need to be easy to type and easy to interpret for optimal SEO benefit. All of your blog posts should read yourdomain.com/your-post-title and should not include .html, the day, the blog category, or any random numbers or letters. Make sure if you change any addresses already up, that you redirect the URL to the new one. Because we don’t want any broken links!!!
Use a content calendar.
When you first start your blog, you have tons of content bouncing around in your brain that’s just dying to get on paper! (Figuratively, of course.) However, after a few months, you may find your ideas are running dry. You might even find you missed an opportunity to upload a seasonal or holiday post. However, with a content calendar, you can ensure you always have timely content planned and ready to go!
Keep it between 1,500 – 2,500 words.
Most blog posts are between 1,500 and 2,500 words long, so try to keep yours in that range too. Google thinks this length is just right for most niches. And, depending on your topic, your posts may land lower or higher than this average. Just never let your content fall below 250 or exceed 5,000 words. To learn more about the optimal blog post length, check out this article about it!
Add subheadings.
Subheadings break up your content to make your blog posts easier to read! All your content stays organized and perfectly skimmable—which is important since over 80% of people claim they skim blogs. Include subheadings throughout your post and never exceed 300 words per heading. In addition, there are other nuances to writing subheadings you can learn about on the blog.
Outsource some of your writing.
If keeping up with your posting schedule just seems too daunting, consider a copywriting service where outsourced freelancers create content for your blog. These well-trained writers will study everything about your blog and voice to ensure all the content matches your brand perfectly. Then, they’ll pump out some great blog posts to add to your catalog! You can also learn more about InfluencerSEO’s copywriting services HERE.
Monetization Tips for Bloggers
Don’t overdo it with ads and pop-ups.
Monetization is a necessary part of your blog. After all, if you want to make a business out of blogging, you’ve got to make an income somehow! Selling ad space can rake in the dough, but make sure you do it right.
We don’t recommend anything that hinders the user experience, so cut the pop-ups and make sure every placed ad is marketing something within your brand and morals. For the best ad management, look into SHE Media! It’s the perfect ad space alternative for female entrepreneurs and influencers.
Use affiliate marketing and brand collaborations.
Almost every successful blogger uses affiliate marketing and also does brand collaborations. It’s like an influencer’s bread and butter! Plus, recommending products and services you enjoy is received much better by your fans than ads. The best part??? There are affiliate programs out there for everyone! We’ve got lists of the best affiliate marketing platforms for a few niches:
- Affiliate Marketing for Food Bloggers
- Affiliate Marketing for Travel Bloggers
- Affiliate Marketing for Mom Bloggers
- Affiliate Marketing for Any Bloggers
Bonus Tip: Always disclose you’re sponsored to be in-line with FTC regulations.
When you can, opt for passive income streams.
Blogging full-time may sound like a dream, but it’s probably not what you want. You want full-time paychecks but not full-time hours. So, consider setting up monetization systems that don’t require a lot of your time and effort after they’re created.
Find ways to make your blog more engaging and more profitable.
There are several ways to make money off your blog, but let’s try to hit two birds with one stone. You can do both, make your blog more engaging and professional while increasing its profitability when you have the right strategy.
To monetize your blog, consider selling digital products, courses, memberships, books, and more! Or, offer a service like one-on-one consultations or personalized training. Affiliate marketing, brand collabs, selling products and services, and providing a subscription service elevate your blog and also make it more profitable!
Productivity Tips For Bloggers
Limit distraction.
A traditional job can be great for forming habits. Your environment and corporate look make you feel ready for work every morning, and therefore more focused when it’s time to get the job done. However, when you’re blogging (likely from home!) it can be hard to focus and stay productive. To do this, limit as many distractions as possible—even lock yourself out of certain apps while working if you need to!
Have a designated workspace to limit distractions.
You may only need a laptop to do most of your blogging, but that doesn’t mean you should lounge on the couch or in your bed while working. Your brain does not associate those zones with work, so it can be really hard to focus and stay productive while writing there. Instead, have a designated workspace where you do all your blogging tasks.
Use a planner and Google Calendar.
You’re going to have a lot of due dates and plenty of non-writing tasks as a blogging business. Keep track of every due date and target in Google Calendar and also in a physical paper planner to make sure you hit those deadlines!
Photography Tips For Bloggers
Get a good camera and lenses.
Though some niches need it more than others, good photography is essential to make your blog look professional and engaging. iPhone tech has gotten pretty good over the years, but we still recommend you have a camera and some high-quality lenses. The last part is super important! In fact, the right lenses will make the biggest impact on the quality of your photos.
Take pictures outside at sunrise, sunset, or on cloudy days.
Want the perfect lighting? The best time to go get your picture snapped is outside at sunrise or sunset. But, if you’re planning a longer shoot, cloudy days will be your perfect weather window. If you take pics at these times, you don’t have to worry about complicated lighting set-ups or capturing the perfect angle. It’s the best hack!
Invest in a photo editing program.
Even if you get the perfect shot, it’ll probably need at least a little retouching. Invest in a photo editing program like PhotoShop or Lightroom that can handle edits small and large. And, you can also learn how to work these programs using free resources on YouTube. Master a few tricks and you’ll get those photos that look perrrrrfect.
Consider hiring a professional photographer.
If you really can’t get the photo thing figured out, consider hiring a photographer. You can do lots of outfits and locations in one day, and then get all your pics for the rest of the month (assuming you have a content calendar that has your posts planned out). The photographer will take care of the posing, staging, lighting, and editing, so you seriously can just kick back and look pretty. It’s pricey, but it can take a big stressor off your plate!
SEO Tips For Bloggers
Write title tags and meta descriptions.
When your posts are search engine optimized, the primary way you’ll get organic traffic is through Google’s results pages. Your content is displayed on the SERPs using a title and short description. This is called a title tag and meta description.
If you don’t write these yourself, Google will automatically generate them. You don’t want that!! It probably won’t do justice to your content, causing most users to scroll past—and you might also end up with duplicates! As part of your writing process, edit those title tags and meta descriptions to make the perfect preview of your post.
Add internal and external links.
Internal and external links are both important for SEO. External links (links that send you to another website) allow you to back up your content with credible sources. Google loves this! In addition, it shows that you’re trustworthy and your content has value. This will also help you rise through the ranks on the SERPs.
Internal links, on the other hand, keep people on your website, traveling from one blog post to another. This is great for SEO because the duration of your readers’ visit proves to the search engine that you have engaging, binge-worthy content. So, make sure you include both internal and external links in your posts!
Use keywords.
Even if you didn’t know anything about SEO before this post, you probably know that keywords are essential. When you use keywords naturally throughout your post, Google can link you to users who are searching for the same keywords. All you need is to do a little keyword research before each post! You can do this on programs with keyword research functions like Ahrefs and Semrush.
Add images with alt text.
Having about four images per blog post is also good for SEO—and readers like it too. It breaks up the content and makes it easier to digest. Just make sure you add alt text to every image. It allows your images to be interpreted by Google’s web crawlers and by those with visual impairments.
Keep everything updated.
SEO isn’t a one-time thing. You have to manage your website daily to ensure that everything stays updated and optimized. Look for things like broken links, outdated posts, and duplicate content. You can learn more about SEO for bloggers on the InfluencerSEO blog and you can get a free website SEO evaluation that’ll show your biggest SEO problems and opportunities. This will help you maintain an optimized website all the time!
Social Media Tips For Bloggers
Go where your readers are.
Social media and your search-engine-optimized website work together to promote your blog and build your readership. (Learn more about how to get blog followers here.) You need to create social accounts that allow you to engage your target audience right where they are. So, do some research and figure out if your people are hanging out on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, or elsewhere!
Repurpose your blog content.
Don’t think you need to come up with all new ideas for your social channels. Simply repurpose your blog content into any type of content you need. You can easily break a single blog post down into a dozen posts, especially when you reuse the images too! When you’re ready to plan your content, open your most recent post, and start reformatting for social media.
Use hashtags effectively.
Hashtags help social media algorithms categorize your content and deliver it to the right users. Using hashtags effectively can get your social media content beyond your followers. Like keywords, be careful not to overdo it, but 4-11 hashtags on the major platforms are usually enough to get you going!
Post consistently and at the right times.
Posting consistently on social media is super important, just like posting consistently is important on your blog! We recommend you post daily and try to schedule the content for the right time of day. Each platform has its best traffic times to get the most eyes on your post. We’ve got the times for Instagram in this post on how to become a micro-influencer, but a Google search can get you the ideal times for any other platform you want!
Web Design Tips For Bloggers
Make sure it’s mobile-friendly.
As of 2018, Google favors the mobile-friendliness of your website over the desktop experience! That’s because so many internet users are now exclusively on mobile. To ensure you rank well, test your site on your phone as well as your computer.
Prioritize speed.
The statistics on bounce rate are insane. A website that takes 2 seconds to load has a bounce rate of 9%. However, a website with a 5-second load time has a bounce rate of 38%. Wow!!! That tells us that speed matters a lot to your readers. On every landing page, determine the site speed, and if you encounter problems, try your best to diagnose them. You could have too many plug-ins, too many images, or several other problems. Of course, if you can’t figure it out, reach out to us!
Keep a well-organized main menu and a search bar.
Main menus and search bars make navigating your site a breeze. Both Google and readers love this! If you want followers to hang out on your site after one post, make finding new content as easy as possible.
To be a successful blogger, you just need the right tips and tricks!
We hope this list of tips helped you create the ultimate plan for blog domination. No, seriously, we want your blog to BLOW UP. Using this advice, you can set yourself up to become a mega-influencer and achieve all of your blogging goals. Don’t let your dreams be dreams!! Anyway… find more blogging tips on the InfluencerSEO blog to grow your brand and hit it big time.
Leave a Reply