The world of blogging – dos and donts – things I learnt since I started blogging

I have always loved to craft and make things but as always life gets in the way and unfortunately I left my passion in the background until I actually didn’t do any crafts at all.  Until a few years ago, when I came across Pinterest and all the amazing projects that led me to this – running my own blog and actually blogging!

I started with small steps, attempting some projects I had seen online and recreating them, taking photos from start to finish, I would only share them with my family who encouraged me to do share them with everyone..

In February this year I decided to start my own blog and I can tell you that I am hooked.  Blogging is not quite as simple as I expected, it takes a lot of work but I love it.  Here are a few things I learnt along the way.

1. Content is everything. I try to post as much as I can, however, I work full-time, so it is not always possible. I want to post something great and not just keep posting for the sake of it. I do try to post several times a week, to make sure my content is flowing.

The more posts you have the more chances you have of being ‘seen’ on search engines. Make sure you have a good flow of new posts and make sure you are consistent.

If I haven’t done a new project or post for a while, I love to feature my picks and link back to various blogs.  This way you not only have a great post, but also expose yourself to other bloggers, build relationships, network and get more traffic!

2.  Use good photos.  I look at other blogs and see how amazing their photos are in comparison to mine. When I took the photos I was only thinking about the piece of furniture.. I now think about background, colours, exposure, lighting, editing, placement and props. You want your photos to look amazing, pop and showcase your piece. Even if the piece is amazing you must show it in the best possible light!

Busy backgrounds are a definite no-no [guilty!], dark or blurry photos also won’t look great. You want to have nice light and crisp images, which are also large.

Make sure you don’t just pick photos from the internet and use them as you will be breaking the law!  If you use someone’s photos, make sure you either ask their permission or attribute the author and link to the source.

3. Also very important, don’t forget to watermark your own photos and definitely add copyright notice on your page!

4. Have a subscribers list for your blog, simply add a button on your blog so it is easier for your readers to do this and not miss a post!

5. Use photo editing apps.  I do not have Photoshop, but there are so many free apps which are great for photo editing.  I use Picmonkey and Canva, they have brilliant free tools to create collages, edit your photos and even make posters, posts and banners.

6. Social Media.  Who knew there were so many social media platforms available? Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Linkedin, Google+ etc.

Make sure you create a social media page for your blog/business separately from your personal page and share your blog posts on all platforms.  Don’t spend too much time on social media trying to get followers, they will come with time. Make sure your blog is amazing and use social media to promote your blog. Remember you want people to visit your blog and social media is just a tool to help them find you!

7. Add social media widgets onto your blog, so your readers can easily access your social media and follow you.

8. Be different. You are unique, don’t try to copy others, be creative and be yourself! There is nothing better than being free and doing what you want.  Decide is the blog for you to express yourself (stats and followers are not paramount) or are you doing this for others, do you want to earn money, make a career out of this or is this just for fun?

9. Engage with your readers – they are human and they have come to look at your work.  Give them your time, you are where you are only because of the readers you have. I always check my notifications and try to reply to all the comments I get as I do think it is important that you show your readers, that they do matter!

8. Become an expert.  You are writing the post, and telling people how to do it.. so make sure you know what you are talking about, do your research, don’t just say things just for the sake of saying it. Make sure you know what you are talking about. I normally post my mishaps and things that have gone wrong, this shows you are just a human and its ok!

10. Join in Link Parties.  To be honest I never heard of link parties before I started my blog but now I add my posts and join some fabulous link parties all over the world.  This is a great way to network, meet other blogs and get noticed.  If you are picked for a feature, you can be seen on other blogs and get more traffic.

One easy way to keep track is to create a list where you can detail what posts you have already submitted and to what parties.

I have been a co-host for the fabulous Wordless Wednesday Link and love to visit other blogs.

11. Be true to yourself, even if you have a sponsored post make sure you always are 100% truthful and your readers will appreciate that.

12. Be friendly with other bloggers.  Join in the fun. Bloggers are the nicest community, they know what it is like to have a blog, they love to help each other out.  Join in and have fun.

13. Give it time. I have only just started and even thought at first I really wanted this to be a hobby I must admit now I am thinking, I wish I could blog all day every day!  I catch myself looking at my stats and get excited when I reach a new milestone.  I get excited about every follower and subscriber.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, it is hard work and it takes a long time.. sometimes it feels like I am posting things and no-one is reading as I have just started this is pretty normal. I am hanging in there and not giving up! This is my world and I love it, just hope you are enjoying it and some of this information is helpful to you!

I am not a professional blogger by no means, but I find this world fascinating and even though it can be hard work, it is so much fun and I enjoy every moment of it!

Do you have any tips for bloggers?