Slowly but surely I’ve begun growing my readership and now accept at
least a few freelance writing jobs each week.
A lot of it was research and a great deal of hard work/marketing myself,
while some was networking and connecting with other bloggers.
Below is some of the best advice I have received on developing my blog:
1. Turn off your damn captcha. Honestly, do it and notice the almost
instantaneous increase in comments. If you must have it, change your
settings so it shows while we’re commenting.
There’s nothing worse than hitting “Post Comment” and after the
page refreshes a surprise captcha page pops up. No bueno homeslice.
2. Comment on blogs within your niche but especially on those that are not.
Very quickly you can develop a rapport with other bloggers just by
exchanging comments and providing a few encouraging words.
There are blogs I love and have no expectation whatsoever of ever receiving a comment,
and there are those that I have supported for a while and then lost interest because of the
lack of interaction. No one likes a selfish blogger.
3. Utilize the various free blogging communities to interact and acquire tips
and tricks from other bloggers on how to succeed and why.
IFB, 20SomethingBlogger, SITS, BlogTrends, BlogEngage, Bloggers,
Regional Facebook Blog Groups, Foodie, LinkedIn Niche Blogger Groups,
Bloglovin, HelloCotton, BlogBrunch, CopyBlogger etc.
4. Include links to relevant previous posts to increase your hits. So simple – even
by adding the “LinkWithin” widget which pulls up all those related will aid a boom.
5. Blog about what you know and are passionate about. All else is just filler
and people will know it. When someone has passion about a topic, their
excitement shows. Thus creating excitement from those reading.
6. Encourage your readers to leave comments by ending your post with a question.
It provides them with an automatic personalized response to your post, easy!
7. Get a little personal … I’m not saying to share your social security number
and home address – but allowing your readers in a bit will inspire
trust and permit them to connect with you.
8. Be versatile it will nurture a more diverse following. Don’t rely solely on well-written
prose or merely pretty pictures. Challenge yourself to record a vlog – keep it interesting.
9. Participate in Bloghops to which you feel you can contribute valuable quips of
knowledge. Doing this always adds a few extra hits and numerous new followers.
10. The most important.. Provide quality content for your readers that will keep them coming back and most likely sharing your blog with others. Useful. Gets. Hits.
Useless and pretty only sustains attention for so long.
Knowing your readers and how best your posts can serve
them is key to achieving longevity.
These were only a few of many – one day when I’ve come much further and learned a
great deal more, I will do a more extensive post.
In the meantime, what are some of the best tips you’ve picked up?
Liesl
July 26, 2012Very informative post, Georgina! Thank you :-)I also despise Captcha and will even avoid commenting on a blog if I have to do it. Which is really bad and lazy of me.
Keep up the great work!
Liesl xxx
http://www.pretty-random-things.com/
Georgina
July 27, 2012Thank you Liesl – I know a lot of people discard commenting on a blog altogether when the Captcha pops up. So annoying!
Alyx
July 26, 2012AMEN about the captcha. I swear, this advice is all over the internet, so I'm not sure how bloggers are missing it. Anyway. Great tips!
Georgina
July 27, 2012π – I got about 5 bloggers to turn it off after this post lol
Janna Renee
July 26, 2012Great tips, and I would suggest all of them! Especially the commenting ones…I can't even tell you how many blogs I visit that have a thousand followers, but no comments. You get what you give!! Say NO to captchas!!
Georgina
July 27, 2012Thank you Janna – I hope you have a fantastic weekend!
Tobechi Daniel
July 26, 2012Georgina, that are very helpful blogging tips. Thanks a lot.
http://tobechidaniel.blogspot.com/
Laura
July 26, 2012Great information Georgina. I am definitely going to visit some of the sites you mention. I really dont know why people leave captcha on at all!
I was told I should have a seperate facebook page for my blog, but I have yet to do that. Have a good day!
Georgina
July 27, 2012Thank you Laura! Let me know when you create a facebook page, I will stop by and like it. It's definitely important when you need to send a media kit out and want to show your complete reach π
jewel
July 26, 2012These are awesome tips.. especially the captcha. I am going to remove mine right away..
Georgina
July 28, 2012You'll definitely notice a difference π
Fun and Fearless in Beantown
July 26, 2012Great tips, Georgina! I've been blogging for many years and I've also learned not to sweat the small stuff. Sometimes blog readership with roller coaster and that's okay. If you're writing for yourself, it is worth it in the end.
Georgina
July 28, 2012That's a wonderful ideology Michelle π
Sara Louise
July 26, 2012Making sure I'm not a 'No-Reply' commenter has been one of the best tips I've gotten so far, and to turn off the word verification. I HATE CAPTCHA! Every time I have to do one, it bugs the cr*p out of me! π
Georgina
July 28, 2012Haha me too but I still leave the comment but leave annoyed.com
Carol-Anne Wyseman
July 26, 2012Thanks so much for posting these useful tips! I just turned off my captcha (can't believe I didn't think to do that sooner!)
xx
Carol-Anne
http://www.thestylishstudent.com
Georgina
July 28, 2012It will make your readers quite happy π
Couture Carrie
July 26, 2012Awesome tips. Especially loving #4!
My advice is: spread the love around the blogosphere; be positive, and comment often!
xoxox,
CC
Melissa
July 26, 2012Great tips as always π
xo,
http://missmelissafashionandbeautyblog.blogspot.com/
Georgina
July 28, 2012Thank you Melissa!
Blond Duck
July 27, 2012I'd love if you did a post on how you scored the freelance gigs from blogging!
Georgina
July 28, 2012I will definitely draft one – there are so many resources! In the meantime please send me a quick email to: georgina@notesonlifestylebygeorgina.com and I will send you a few invites to invite-only freelance websites π
Anastasia from Natbeesfashion
July 27, 2012Agreed with most of them!My advice is not to pretend that you are a model.Simply be yourself!!!!
xo
Garage Sales R Us
July 27, 2012Awesome post! Thanks for the tips! I am visiting from thee blog hop. I know I am way late but I wanted to stop by. I am a new follower! I blog over at http://garagesalesrus.blogspot.com/ I hope you will stop by and do the same. I also have an awesome giveaway with a Cricut Machine going on right now! I would love it if you would enter!
Robin
Georgina
July 28, 2012Thank you Robin – I don't care HOW late you stop by, thank you for coming by! I will definitely check out your giveaway π
Nikki Mitchell
July 28, 2012I love this post! I definitely edited my blog based on things you wrote! I get happier with my blog each and every day!
Georgina
July 28, 2012Me too! Small changes make a world of difference π
Arielle
August 4, 2012Thanks for this post. I'd never even thought about the captcha thing before!
Cee
December 4, 2012your blog has potential. contact me at http://increasetraffictomyblog.com/contact-us.
dedivahdeals.com
February 8, 2013Great tips – thanks for sharing. I hate those CAPTCHAS!
Luna
August 13, 2013Hey Georgina, I'm a new blogger but literally the first thing I did when creating my blog was remove the captcha things. They're everywhere! I'll even go to comment on videos or tvshows, and when the captcha box is there I turn the opposite direction. Thanks so much for the info!
Would it be okay if I just stuck my link at the bottom of my comment?
http://astro-aspirations.blogspot.com/