6 Secrets for Better Blogging

I started this blog over a year ago and it's become a crazy passion of mine.  Crazy as in I'll spend hours working on posts, perusing other blogs, thinking up ideas and taking photos and editing them to share with you all.  Blogging gives me a creative outlet and let's me express myself however I want all while keeping it in one handy little spot, and if other people enjoy it, bonus (and I obviously won't lie when I say your comments really bring a smile to my face).

That said, I'm not blogging expert and sometimes I do get discouraged, run out of time or get what I like to call, 'Bloggers Block' (kind of like writers block but when you don't know what to blog about).  I thought it would be helpful to put together a post about things I look for when coming across a new blog and what appeals to me (Tiffany wrote a great post about this and I read it when I first started blogging and it really helped me).  Everyone is different, hence why there are so many blog styles, but these are what really catches my eye and I strive to do:

1.  Write often.  

I love having blogs I can 'count on', and when I say that I mean I know that when I'm going through my daily blog route, those blogs will be updated daily and I can look forward to it.  I know we are all busy and blogging takes a lot of time and work, but posting frequently will up your readership because your readers can count on you.

2.  Use your own photos.  

Sure, every now and again I'll use a random photo I found on the web (like here), but that's not very often.  Readers come to your blog to read about you, what's going on in your life, what you're loving lately, etc. and that is easily demonstrated through your own photos.  If you are loving a new piece of make-up you just purchased, take a photo of it and use it instead of google-image-searching a photo of the product.  Even better: take a photo of you with the product.  People eat that shiz up.

3.  Install a stat tracker.  

Tiffany mentioned this in her post but I have to reiterate because it's extremely important.  It's very easy to get caught up in how many comments you are or are not getting, however, it really doesn't exemplify your readership or page hits.  Only a stat tracker can tell you this and you will be amazed to see where people come from, how your readership grows and the posts you write that get the most hits.  I would have never known how many people actually visit my blog per day, versus how many official follow (the numbers are surprisingly not comparable).  I use StatCounter and Google Analytics.

4.   Be honest. 

I love when bloggers are super honest and real, ...loveMaegan is an excellent example of this.. It turns a blogger into a real person and gives you a real taste of their personality and traits.  This certainly isn't always easy putting the true, real, raw version of yourself out there, but it makes you relatable, and really, how great is it when you come across someone who has similar problems or hurdles to overcome as you?  Super great.

5.  Link.  Link.  Link.  (and make it easy)

I always link to the items I'm wearing to when I last wore them, and if they are available for purchase online, I'll use that link as well.  As a reader, you want things to be easily accessible, and as a blogger, I should know that.  Personally, if I have to put in work to find something, it's not going to happen, I'll mostly just let it go.  Additionally, if your post pertains to another post you wrote, link to that.  There is a good chance a good chunk of people never saw that post, so make it easy for them.

6.  Make your own rules.  

This is your blog, your rules.  You can post about whatever you want.  If people don't like it, they don't have to read it.  Just be true to yourself and your readers will see that.