Tuesday 10 January 2017

Blogger tips for beginners

Hey Lovelies

I thought I'd mix my posts up this week, I've recently done a load of beauty related content which I've loved but I thought I'd add this little post into the mix.

I've been blogging around 4 months now, it's been really great interacting with so many of you and reading/creating content which I'm interested in. Writing and photography has always been a strong interest of mine and the blogger world is a lovely blend of both which is what hooked me. 
Before I started my blog I used to read a lot of other peoples and always kinda wanted to start my own but was worried of what everyone would think. Then in September I took the plunge and never looked back.



To be completely honest, when I first started my blog I had no idea what I was doing, like none what so ever. It was only through trial and error I kinda learnt my way and it's only been 4 months and I'm in no way a pro at this, but I think I'm doing alright.. 
I thought it would be a nice idea to share some of the things I've learnt along the way that might inspire you to start your own blog, or simply help increase your traffic/followers.

Choosing your blog name.
This is quite important because it's something that will stick with you throughout your blogging time. For 11 years now my friends have known me as "Jazziepickles" so it only seemed right to make that my blog URL. It helps if all your social media have the same name as your blog too so bare that in mind.

Creating your content.
This is YOUR blog, and you can write about whatever you want to. A lot of my posts are beauty related because that's an area I'm really interested in and love to read about myself. but you can create your own niche. Just make sure whatever you write is completely honest, and always check for spelling and grammar mistakes (I'm guilty of not proof reading sometimes) Try to get your writing style and personality across in your content too, it will help you stand out and if people like it, they'll come back to your blog.

Photography.
You do not need a fancy camera and equipment to take good photo's, I don't. I use the camera on my phone and that seems to work alright for me. Photography is an area in my blog that I really want to step my game up with. Professional looking images grab peoples attention and makes them want to read your content. Try and use your own photo's, if you take an image from another site make sure you have permission to do so and credit who it's from.
When it comes editing photo's, again you don't need fancy expensive software like Photoshop, I use a photo editor built in to my phone and only change around the light, contrast and exposure. Too much editing can change the entire photo making it not true to life.

Blog traffic.
Now you have content and images, I'm guessing you'd quite like some people to read it? There are endless groups floating around the internet on social media that you can join to share your links. I'm a part of a wonderful twitter chat group that has members just like me. Similarly with Instagram, I have a few groups of girls I chat to regularly and we share our links with each other as well as tips and advice. 

Social media
Priceless when it comes to the blogger world. Increasing your followers means more people are likely to see your blog promotion. Twitter is where I post regularly and it really helps increase my blog traffic. By following people who interest you with their work and have a similar niche, you're likely to get a follow back. Social media also has a big part to play when it comes to working with different brands, the wider your social outreach the more likely you are to get work.

Key words and #Hashtags
This is how people will come across your content when running searches. If you're a beauty blogger like me you can use #bbloggers and #beautybloggers, seems obvious but it's really effective. Key words that relate to your posts also help people to stumble across your work.

Working with brands
Blogging comes with perks like working with brands. They might send you an item to review or pay you to write a post for them (Sponsoring) 
If that's something your interested in then make sure your contact details are clearly visible on your blog and across your social media platforms. Someone may want you to help promote something but if they struggle to contact you, they'll move on to someone else. If your lucky enough to be approached by a brand, make sure you've read all of their requirements before accepting an offer, some companies will try and mug you off if they can. 

Links.
This is something I learnt only recently. When you create a link on your page to a website, there are two options, a "do follow" link and a "no follow" link, each are very different. If your link is a "do follow" you're basically telling search engines you trust the website linked and it will help boost their position in search engines (SEO- Search engine optimisation) and a "no follow" link will just be a straight link to the site and won't count towards SEO. It's important to know the difference, especially when writing sponsored content.

Be consistent.
Try and post your content at the same times each week, regular readers will know when to come back to your site. I post twice a week at the moment (except December when I attempted blogmas) Once midweek and once at the weekend, usually Wednesdays and Saturday's. Obviously you'll work to a scheduled that suits you.

So that's a round up of my basic tips for beginners, hopefully you found this helpful.

Thanks for being here
Kisses and love 
Jazziepickles 
Xoxo 






13 comments:

  1. Some lovely tips I wish I knew about these before I started! You're always learning as you go. It's lovely to see bloggers willing to help other bloggers, there's so much love.

    Gemma | www.anoceanglimmer.wordpress.com

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  2. Lovely post girl and such fab tips! x

    www.stylepetal.co.uk

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  3. These are great tips, I also wish we had known about these before we had started blogging but kind of learned (badly at times) along the way!

    The best thing about the blogging community is everyone is so supportive and willing to help if needed.

    Thanks for sharing,

    BeauTeagenes
    www.beauteagenes.com

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  4. Some great tips here!
    Check me out at beautywithdanielle.wordpess.com

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  5. :) Very helpful! 1 question- tags and hastags to include in blog posts or Insta or both? I am particularly asking about bbloggers and beautybloggers tags.

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  6. These are great tips Jasmine. I have been blogging for a while now but still trying to get the hang of it. Still thinking of a change in my domain name :( and I'm scared I will lose my current subscribers but that's a worry for another day. I also use my phone to take pictures and edit them with Instagram and VSCO and they work pretty fine. SEO is still and area I'm not familiar with, hopefully I improve this year. xo
    Ash | www.ashleyesema.com

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  7. Awesome tips babe! Wish I had seen a post like this when I first started would have helped me heaps. Great work!

    www.susanalopessnarey.com

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  8. These are some brilliant tips, it's amazing you've picked up so much in just 4 months, took me more like 4 years to get to this point haha! well done x

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  9. These are really great tips and all make such a lot of sense! Lovely post x

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  10. Great tips! Starting and maintaining a blog is a lot of work.

    xo, Patty
    www.pattyskloset.com

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  11. These are great tips! Social media is so important for promoting blog posts and building a readership!

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  12. Wow your post was really interesting! I have started writing my blog last September so I found your tips really useful for me!

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  13. Loved this post, although I'm not a new blogger it is a really helpful post xx

    Zoe ♥ MammafulZo

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