My Blogging Tips

As this is the week of this blog's tenth anniversary, I thought I'd start this week with my blogging tips to help any bloggers that may need a boost or inspire you to create your own blog. Either way I hope this insight is useful to you for running your own blog and everything I've learned about blogging over these past ten years.

Let's get started!

1. Find a suitable blogging platform

This is a crucial part to your blogging journey is the platform you're going to use. There's so many platforms to choose from. Personally I use Blogger as it's really straightforward to use and I've used it these past ten years and not had a problem with it. I know there's other platforms that you can use like Wordpress, Squarespace. It's entirely up to you to experiment with different platforms to see what works for you. I just love Blogger because it hasn't let me down so far since using it but the choice is entirely up to you. 

2. Figure out what you want to write about

This is a crucial element to your blog is the actual content of your blog. What are you going to write about? Are you going to be a food blogger? Beauty blogger? Lifestyle Blogger? Travel Blogger? Gamer blogger? It's important to have a theme for your blogger. Lifestyle is a good option because it gives you more room to write about different things and include categories like travel, beauty etc. into that niche. It's important though to have a clear focus of what you're going to write about and stick to it. 

3. Plan out your posts

It's good to plan out your posts and not just write it out from the top of your head. Sometimes that works but it's a good idea how you want to structure your posts. Are you going to have subheadings? Are you going to include pictures or bullet points? Sometimes it's good to plan your posts because often when you plan the posts turn out a lot better. Even just having a general idea of how you want the post to look can help because obviously plans change. You may decide you don't want photos then after typing the post you think photos will make the post look better. If you're going to post photos then make some time to take photos. I sometimes plan posts while I'm out and about. Say if I'm travelling or I want to do a photo journal, I make a point to take photos specifically because I'm already envisioning what I'm going to say. It's really important to plan your posts out. I use my trusty blogging notebook to jot down all my ideas and plan my posts with. It's something I've always used when it comes to blogging and it's never let me down. 

4. Have a brain dump of post ideas

This is really important especially for those times where you're struggling. When you're motivated enough, take a seat and just have a complete brain dump of ideas. This is where you just write every single idea you may have. Even if it seems impossible to do, write it down anyway because later on you could potentially interpret it. Honestly, having a list of post ideas that you've written down can really help you out on those days where you can't think of any ideas. Plus this means you'll always have content to post and when you reach the end of your list then have another brain dump of post ideas. It will really help you out. 

5. Schedule your posts in advance

Honestly, scheduling your posts in advance does take the weight off you because you know content will be going out even if you're having an off day. Also it gives a bit of consistency if they're scheduled at the same time because then your readers will know when to expect a post from you. Plus scheduling multiple posts in the month means you have time to plan for the next month which really helps. I've found this really helps me because believe it or not I've written this week's posts in April and you wouldn't have known that otherwise. This has given me time to plan my posts and I knew I wanted to do something good for my blog's tenth anniversary and who doesn't love a week of blog posts. This is why scheduling your posts is a real benefit to you because it really helps you plan ahead.

6. Don't take too long to post

This is something I've been guilty of where I've had a few blogging hiatus in my time. It happens. You get a case of blogger's block where you don't want to post or are not motivated to make posts then before you know it several months go by without posting. This is something I've learned is not good for your blog because your readers expect a post for you every week then all of a sudden there's no posts for months. They'll soon become uninterested in your blog because they think you've stopped blogging and won't even know when you come back because they no longer check on your blog. That's why it's so important not to leave it too long between posts. If you post once a week, every week and show that consistency in your blog then your readers will see that. They will know to expect a post from you every week so they'll keep checking back at your blog. If you're like me who has occasional months where I post everyday for a month and actually do it then it shows even more consistency. Consistency is key when it comes to your blog because your readers will love it.

7. Spell and grammar check

This is a very important part of blogging is making sure your spelling and grammar check is on point. I always run my post through Google Docs to make sure the spelling and grammar is on point then I have a read through of my post just to double check what I'm saying makes sense. Editing is a really important part of blogging your posts because sometimes you can get away with one spelling mistake but multiple ones will switch people off. It's really important before you're posting to take the time to edit your post and make sure the spelling and grammar is on point. 

8. Own your URL

This is an important factor when it comes to running your blog is owning your URL. Honestly, it looks so much better than having a free URL. Plus people will think you're a professional with your own URL. It's not that expensive when you look at it from the long run and you'd be surprised at the price. I certainly was when I got mine. Either way having your own blogging URL really gives your blog that edge and shows you're a professional blogger. 

9. Having a dedicated work space

It's really important to have a dedicated work space when you're blogging so that when you're sitting there you know it's time to blog. My dedicated workspace is my desk and later on this week I'll give you a desk tour. Although sometimes I do stray away from my desk as I'm doing while I'm writing this post on my bed and in my pyjamas. It happens but I know most of my great blog posts come from writing at my desk so it's important to have a dedicated work space when it comes to running and writing your blog. 

10. Be yourself

Finally, the most important element of your blog is you. Being yourself is a must because it's your unique selling point of your blog. Plus nobody likes a copycat blog so posting because you want to post is crucial. Having your own personal insight is what's going to make your blog unique. Don't try to copy other blogs in the hopes that you will get more page views. It's okay to take some ideas that can't be helped, like routine posts and what's in my bag, but the important part of all the posts you make is that they're your thoughts and ideas. They're unique to you. Being yourself is the most important factor when it comes to your blog as it will take your blog a long way if you're just your own unique self. 

There we have it, those are my blogging tips. Let me know if you have any blogging tips that I might have missed in the comments below and maybe we can all help each other out in improving our blogs as there's always room for improvement. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I'll be back tomorrow with another post as this week I'm posting everyday on this blog so be sure to check back on this blog everyday.

See you then.

Megan x 

*This is not a sponsored post*

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