As a blogger, I have made approximately three zillion mistakes, learned tons of lessons from them, and worked my little tail feathers off the whole time. While I’ve found plenty of things that didn’t work, I’ve also discovered some strategies that are lit-rally the bomb.dot.com. Today, I’m sharing some of the ways that I’ve been able to grow my blog. I hope they help you, too!
Before we begin, I also have a FREE video training for bloggers who want to grow their audience, save time, and build an income. Click the image below to gain instant access — woop woop!
Now let’s get crackin’ on those tips, yes?
1. Respond to comments.
This is one of the most important things you should be doing. Acknowledge your readers. Don’t just say “thanks.” Be thoughtful. Try to build a conversation and a friendship. If you always see a similar name in your comment section, try visiting their own blog and leaving a comment. If you can build a community in your comments section, people will continue to come back and say hello. And the only way to build that community is to engage with your readers.
Also, I understand that once you reach a certain point, it’s not possible to stay sane and respond to every comment. But until then, I think it should be a priority. Plus, it’s one of my favorite parts about blogging!
Related: How to create an active community on your blog
2. Get your butt on Instagram Stories.
When I first started my blog, I would read articles that told me that if I wanted to grow my readership, I needed to use Twitter. That’s nice, I thought, but how in the hell do I use it effectively? It took me awhile to figure that out. Nowadays, Twitter isn’t as widely used by bloggers. Guys, Instagram Stories is where. it’s. at.
Talk up your latest blog post. Share a peek behind the scenes at your life. Are you a beauty blogger? Show us the products you’ve been using and loving lately. Do you jam out on cooking? Walk us through the steps to create one of your signature recipes.
I started following some of my favorite bloggers on Stories. And if they posted something on Insta that resonated with me, I’d respond, even if I’d never spoken to them before. Yep, I slid into the DMs. Eventually, I started getting into the groove. I began having conversations with other bloggers and turned them into friends. And voila.
How to use it effectively:
Start by following your favorite bloggers (their Instagram username should be on their blog). If they share something you like, respond! Get the conversation started. And if you come across a blog post that you really like, share it on Stories and tag that blogger’s username. Not only are you doing them a favor that they will remember, you’re also giving your followers something new to read.
Remember, in order to create a successful blog, you pretty much need to create friendships and connections with other bloggers. If you don’t have any blog friends, take the first step and make those friendships yourself. Lastly, you should definitely use Instagram to promote your posts.
3. Schedule your social media posts.
Someone once asked me if I ever sleep because it appears that I’m always on social media talking about my business. Yep, I sleep plenty. My secret weapon? I schedule some of my posts. There are tons of free and paid programs that can help you do this, such as Buffer, Hootsuite, Planoly, and CoSchedule. Therefore, I can schedule posts to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter when I’d otherwise be sleeping or at work.
How to use it effectively:
Schedule your posts so that they are sent through your social media outlets at varying times, several times a day. Why? Because your readers are all very different. Perhaps they live in different time zones or work at night as opposed to in the morning. You want to make sure that you have enough tweets spread out throughout the day so that no matter who your readers are, they won’t miss the fact that you just posted something new.
When doing this, I recommend changing up your tweets. Don’t copy and paste the same thing over and over because it will bore and irritate your followers. Remember, you are marketing your blog posts. Try to keep your tweets interesting and pull people in so they’ll want to click through to your blog post.
Related: 5 useful programs for scheduling your social media
4. Looks aren’t everything, but they’re definitely something.
Your blog design and Instagram visuals are important. It’s like the cover of your book. If it’s boring, an obvious template, or cluttered, it will drive some people away even if your content is great. You could either hire a blog designer to create something customized for you, or you could purchase a premium theme to help you stand out online.
5. How are you writing your posts?
When I first started my blog, I honestly didn’t know what direction I wanted it to go in or what my “blogging voice” was. I wrote a few posts and asked a good friend, who works in marketing, for feedback. Something he told me that stayed with me is that if I want to grow my blog, I need to think about my writing from a marketing perspective. The posts I had written would probably be appreciated by friends from home or people who knew me, but for anyone else on the internet? They were probably a little boring, wordy, and hard to relate to.
You might have great things you’re saying on your blog, but also consider the way you say them. Do you talk as if you’re having a conversation and try to keep people interested and engaged? Or do you basically write a diary that’s not very personable? I’m not saying the latter is a bad thing to do as a hobby, but it will be hard to grow your blog if people cannot relate to your posts.
Related: How to find your unique blogging voice
6. Be consistent.
I recommend using the same picture for your social media profiles. People may not remember you or put two and two together if they see 5 different pictures of you around the internet. But if you use a similar design all over the place, people WILL notice and eventually they’ll be curious about who the hell you are.
Additionally, keep the pages on your blog and your social media profiles up to date. It just looks unprofessional when things are incorrect or out of date. For example, if it’s October, edit your “about” page so it doesn’t still say, “I’m looking forward to getting married in August!” Leaving overdue details will just show your readers that you’re unorganized.
Related: How to create a style guide for your blog (free workbook!)
7. Comment on other blogs.
I’m not going to go in depth on this since you’ve probably already heard it before. But you should definitely be doing this. And for the love of god please be sincere. And if you’re going to include your blog’s URL, write more than a sentence. And guess what? If you’re really sweet and motivating, OTHER readers from that person’s blog will click over to view your blog, too. I’ve gotten plenty of traffic from people who clicked over to my blog simply because I left a long, engaging comment on someone else’s post. Being kind and encouraging will get you far. Don’t forget that.
8. Join linkups and leave comments on the other linked up blogs.
Remember, successful blogging is about building relationships. You could certainly just link up your blog and be done, but you’re missing out on the community building aspect of link-ups. If you comment on other people’s blogs, they’re bound to come say hi on yours, too. Also, don’t underestimate smaller linkups. Those are often the best because it’s much easier to meet real people who will stick around.
Related: How to create a successful blog linkup
9. Put effort into SEO.
Almost 40% of my website’s visitors arrive here from a search engine. If you’re not properly SEO-ing the crap out of your posts, you’re missing out on tons of potential readers.
How to use it effectively: Name your photos something that pertains to your post instead of using a name like “J2596.JPG.” Also, add a keyword to your post and try using it in your post’s title, content, meta description, etc. Use relevant tags, and add a meta description (the description that shows up under your post title in a search engine). I use a plug-in called Yoast WordPress SEO that is easy to use and extremely helpful.
Also, if there are certain articles that consistently get hits from search engines, then consider revamping or updating those pages. Some of my popular search engine posts are from when I first started my blog. This is the first impression a random person on the internet has of you, so make sure it’s a good one. It may take a month or so to really see progress from your SEO, but trust me, it’s worth the effort!
I hope these tips gave you some solid ideas for how to grow your blog! I honestly think that if you do all of these things well, you will definitely grow your readership. Also, keep in mind that blogging takes a LOT of time. You will need to spend several hours a week updating posts, staying active on social media, and replying to comments in order to really grow your blog and readership.
If you liked this post, then I have a feeling you’re gonna L-O-V-E my video training designed for bloggers. Click the button below to sign up for FREE! 🙂
Love, Love, Love all of these tips! 🙂 I agree with you – Twitter is definitely foreign territory but i guess i should open an account! When did you start offering sponsorships? I have a feeling i should wait until my viewership grows in order to start offering spots on my blog. But i’m definitely thinking about making a button and buying some ad space on my favorite blogs! Thanks for sharing information on Hootsuite and SEO, i had no idea what these were, will definitely read up on these tips! ^_^
xoxo,
http://www.inspirationsparks.com
Yes get a twitter!! It is the single best way I can think of to network with other bloggers and really get your name out there. As for sponsorships, I usually recommend starting them right off the bat. I had a sponsorship option on my blog since early on and didn’t really get any buyers, but I think it’s good to start sponsorships early so that your readers don’t think you’re “selling out” later down the road. It’s just normal to them because it’s something you’ve always had. And if you’re just starting your sponsorship program then maybe having ad swaps is a good idea. I never really liked them though! I’d just work on connecting to bloggers via twitter and rolling out sponsor packages. I’m sure some of your new blog friends will be down to buy one eventually. 🙂 And yes, get on Hootsuite and SEO! Does wonders. 🙂
Thank You so much for taking time to respond to all of my comments, lol! ^_^
Anytime! And I have one question: Is your first name Laura or Laura Cristina? I always want to use your name in my comments but never know which one to use! 🙂
My first name is Laura! 🙂 Cristina is my middle name and i’ve never used both of them together like this, but i really like how they look together 😛
This is such a great post! I have had my blog for a while, but I’m only now starting to get into it more seriously and at times, it gets a little overwhelming. I’m trying to do my best to keep up with both content and building relationships and I have definitely realized that blogging is so much more fulfilling if I’m in constant contact with other people.
There’s still a lot I need to learn about blogging, but I’m trying to take it one step at a time. 🙂 The thing I struggle with the most is to want to do everything at once, just because I fear I will forget something otherwise. Which is silly, of course, but I’m bookmarking this post as a future guideline! 🙂
xx
Melanie
Hi Melanie! Thanks for stopping by today. 🙂 I’m really glad you found this helpful in some way! I definitely agree that blogging is way more fulfilling when the community aspect is there. I also know how you feel about wanting to just do it all at once! I often tell myself that blogging is like the video game equivalent for women. There’s just so much you can do and it’s really fun! I guess it’s also about finding balance – something I need to work on too.
This is my first time visiting your blog, I clicked here from someone’s Twitter link. I’ve been blogging for about three months now and some of these were new information to me. Very helpful, thanks so much! My next move is to Hootsuite to sign up!
That’s great, Tami! I’m glad you could still find some helpful info in here. And yes, get your butt over to Hootsuite! I just spend 5 minutes on there after writing each post and get all of my tweets for the day out of the way. It’s so helpful!
Thank you for taking the time to help me (& others), Melyssa! You didn’t have to hide who I was, not ashamed that I asked for help. Especially from a blogging badass like yourself! Four months?? I had no idea!We can all learn a thing or two from you. Ha, that rhymed. Checking out Hootsuite as I’d never heard of it til now! 🙂
PS- Been meaniing to mention this all week, love that Monja is your favicon! Makes me smile when I see his face in my bookmark tab.
PPS-Looking forward to your guest post over in my land. So thrilled & honored that you’re coming over. I’ll put on coffee. How about some banana bread?
Have A Great Day on Purpose,
Heather @ Find That Warm Fuzzy Feeling
Anytime Heather! 🙂 I’d been loosely thinking about these ideas and you inspired me to write them down. I didn’t include your name because I wasn’t sure if you’d want it included, but I’ll add you in there! 🙂
I’m glad you like the Monja favicon haha I like it too! Sometimes I think I have a dog website open then and confuse myself. I will most likely have your guest post ready by tomorrow! Excited to be on your blog. 🙂 Banana bread is my favorite. I’ll take 2 loaves! 😉
Aw, you’re so generous to even include a LINK to my blog in your post! You’re awesome 🙂 Thank you for your kind endorsement. Since you’re a banana bread lover like we are, check out my recipe here! You caramelize the bananas first so it’s gives it a nice creamy depth of flavor! Would love to hear how it turns out if you make it.
PS- My boyfriend’s brother (who I told you was in Tokyo last week) is on his way to visit us as we speak. Can’t wait to see what Japan freebie he brought as a souvenir 🙂 Excited for the postcard from you too (& seeing a foreign postal marking!)
You’re silly 🙂 I hope some people clicked that link and saw your great site!
I wish I had an oven to make banana bread but I am going to keep that in mind for next time! 😉 Thank you!
Let me know what souvenir he gives you! I’m curious! And I hope the postcard reaches you soon 🙂 I’m also going to send my guest post to you TODAY! Sorry for being so crappy and tardy and blah haha
Great post, some really helpful advice. I’ve still not taken the plunge with Twitter. I understand how it could help, but I just find Twitter to be so messy & confusing!
Hi Katy! I toootally feel you on Twitter. Or at least I did. Now I honestly love Twitter. I really think that at first it just sucks and seems boring and confusing, but once you make some connections with other bloggers, you’ll see that it’s a great way to forge relationships and collaborations with others. Not to mention just to promote your stuff. Are you following me on twitter? Say hi so I can talk to you there! 🙂
Fantastic advice lady! I’ve been blogging for a while but it never hurts to hear more advice! Especially about twitter…I haven’t made the leap to that outlet yet and I’m still hesitant to but I’m contemplating a giant branding overhaul and the time may be here.
Fun giveaway too! That’s really generous of Jen! I’m heading over to her blog right now to check out her book 🙂
Hi Chelsea! Thank you, I’m so glad you liked this advice! I definitely think Twitter is a biggie on this list…get your butt over there! It is kind of a time suck though, but I find it to be pretty fun and an easy way to stay connected to blog friends/readers. Like instant messaging for the internet world. OMG THAT’S WHAT IT IS. haha Sorry I just had an epiphany. 🙂
And yeah, isn’t Jen great! She’s all about creativity and she’s just a really sweet lady. You’d love her!
Wow. This is by far the best blog post I’ve ever seen on blog growth tips. I might just send everyone that enters my current giveaway (P.S. thanks for the shout out) directly to this post. Everything is so true, and so perfectly written.
I’ve never heard of this Hoot thing now do I understand SEO for the life of me! So many things to learn.
Favorite dane! You’re too sweet, thank you! I’m glad you like and agree with these tips! The Hoot thing is super helpful – get on that, girl! And honestly I feel like a total putz with SEO, too. I just use that plugin I mentioned and hope it helps. In the past couple months I’ve noticed a lot more search engine visitors, so it seems to be doing its job! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by pretty lady!
These are awesome tips! I just started blogging a few months ago and while I definitely enjoy doing it, I had not realized how much work it would be to attract readers! Your post summarizes the key points of blog growth I am still trying to figure out. 😉 By the way, your design is really beautiful.
Tricia @ http://www.roadtriptheworld.com
Thank you Tricia! I’m glad they could be helpful to you. And yes, it is really soo much work to get readers, especially at first! I also just visited your site and it totally reminds me of a chapter of our textbook I just taught to my students about a family that took a year and roadtripped to every state in the U.S. Totally random, I know, but just wanted to share! Your travels sound amazing!
This post is wonderful. Very very helpful! Thank you for posting this 🙂
Anytime Jen! I’m so glad it could be helpful for you. 🙂
This is an awesome post! I’m familiar with SEO but didn’t think about the title of your photos playing a role in SEO. Thanks for the tips!
Anytime, Jasmine! I think I’ve discovered (through countless mistakes, of course) that EVERYTHING plays a role in SEO. Now I name the bejesus out of anything I post just in case 🙂 haha Am I crazy? Yes, yes maybe I am.
Thank you for this awesome post! Very good tips- I still need to figure out SEO and get in gear in that area. I cannot agree more with what you say about comments- it is what keeps me returning to certain blogs (like yours), and the lack of reply had caused me to leave some blogs. I feel like, if you’re going to have comments on your blog, then you are encouraging a dialogue. If you don’t want dialogue, create a website without comments. Sometimes a simple, heartfelt reply to a comment I’ve left has turned a rainy day into a sunny one. You’re so right- just be nice.
I just gotta say, I love your blog. I always feel good after reading your posts. Your positivity is infectious.
Rachel, your comment made me soso happy! Thank you 🙂 I remember visiting your site awhile back and noticed that you replied to every person who commented, too, and thought, gee, Rachel is just really awesome. I agree, when no one responds to my comments, it feels like I’m just talking into space. I also just love being able to connect with others (like you!). Definitely a huge part of the fun. 🙂 And you’re right, a kind comment can totally turn my day around too! It’s like when you go to pay for something and the cashier is really sweet. It always makes me super happy.
I’m really glad that you feel good after stopping by here. Really makes me so happy. I always get excited when I see that you’ve commented! You are definitely a cherished part of my creative space.
Aw, thank you! You’re right- interacting with others is half the fun! It’s so great to really connect with people around the world, and see how much we have in common as human beings- and with your blog, seeing how many people are also interested in making the world a more positive place. 🙂
I agree 100% 🙂 And I also love that last line! It is something I think about constantly as a result of this blog’s readers. Really inspires me!
This is such a great post!
Some of these tips I really need to work on E.G commenting 🙂
And actually changing my image names (damn my natural lazy self)
I love your blog it’s such a nice positive place to go to
Thank you Mel! Commenting reaaally does take a lot of time, but once you get into making it a habit, I think you’ll come to really enjoy it! It’s actually one of my favorite parts. Especially when I get to talk to the same people again and again (like you!). Makes this big blogging world feel a little smaller 🙂
You’ve only been blogging for 4 months?! You’re so awesome! I thought you’d have been blogging for at least a year because you’re blog is such high quality stuff. I love reading tips about how to improve and this is probably one of the best posts I’ve read so far! It’s really helpful, especially the parts about SEO (I had no idea that existed!) and link ups. Even though things can be a little slow, I have to keep pushing through and do it because I love blogging (and tweeting) 🙂 Although, sometimes it’s a little sad when you talk to yourself on Twitter haha! Most of the people that follow me are either my other accounts or my friends, but everyone has to start somewhere!
Thanks Mallory! I think it helps that my job is only part time, so I have some extra time to work on my blog (even though I procrastinate like no other!).
I’m really glad this could be helpful for you! Definitely look into SEO more. I honestly just kind of downloaded that plugin on a whim, but keeping SEO in mind has been really helpful for my posts. And things were really slow with my blog in the beginning too. It definitely takes time at first. And don’t worry, I talked to myself on twitter pleeenty before. I also started off by just following my regular friends and not knowing what to do from there, but once you start following some bloggers that you like I think it will make a world of difference! 🙂
This is such a great post, very helpful! And I try to do most of the things you wrote about, but somehow… it’s very hard. I never know what to say… 🙁
But I guess it’s a process of trail and error, right?
xxSusanne
Hi Susanne! I’m glad this is helpful for you! I’ve had other blogs in the past that were more private and I didn’t write in them often because I never knew what to say. With this one, I decided to give it a theme, so I try to stick to topics that relate to travel, creativity, and positivity. I found that having themes (which were things I already liked talking about) has helped me immensely for figuring out things to write. I also write down ideas in a notebook or on my phone as they come to me so that I can reference them later in case I’m stuck. But you’re right – trial and error is pretty much the way to go! My first few posts on this blog are very different than what I post now, but they’ve led me in some way to what I write about now. Everything changes, but as long as you have sort of a direction, I think it will all fall into place! One of my blogging friends just wrote a post about how to build blogging confidence/ideas that I think you might like: http://www.chimerikal.com/2013/06/how-to-build-your-blogging-confidence.html
I really appreciate this post.
What you said about blogging taking time really resonated. There are no really easy shortcuts – sue you can make some things easier, but the actual posting takes time.
I also need to network more!
ps. I’m a great fan of Red Parka : )
I’m glad you appreciated this, Tess. 🙂 And you’re right, there are things you can do to help, but no matter what blogging takes time. I’d tell you how much time I spend working on my blog, but I don’t even want to think about it myself! Even though I love the time I spend here, it really is a LOT! And I’m glad you mentioned networking more. I know I mentioned it a bit in this post, but I really think it is the single MOST important thing you can do to build your blog.
I’m glad you’re a Red Parka fan! She’s wonderful!
Fantastic post and food for thought! I can’t believe you’ve only been blogging for 4 months, you write with the confidence of someone who’s been at it for years. I never know whether my posts are any good or interesting enough to folk, so have been having that wee niggly feeling that I should pack it in. Then I read your positivity posts and think just keep going it’ll all come together in time. I really need to get my butt in gear and do more of all things on the list, I need more structure in my day I think lol!!
Thanks for the tips, they’re really helpful.
Also have been meaning to ask, I’ve tried to sponsor you through passionfruit, but it won’t allow me to upload an image. Any idea why??
DaisyBisley
Thank you Claire! I’m glad you liked this 🙂
I also started by thinking that everything I was writing was crap. I also share my posts on my personal Facebook and was always so nervous that friends and family would think I was irritating, boring, all of the above. But I think what has honestly kept me going and built my confidence is finding people who like what I write. I wasn’t really expecting that. People like you, really! I think if you just stick to it and believe in what you write (because it really IS great, Claire), then it will be a lot easier to feel confident in your articles. Actually, after reading this post, one of my blogging friends wrote some tips in response about how to build your confidence as a blogger. I really enjoyed it and I think you might, too! http://www.chimerikal.com/2013/06/how-to-build-your-blogging-confidence.html
And thank you for trying to sponsor me! 🙂 That’s odd that it won’t let you upload an image, I’ve never had anyone say that before! Are you sure the image is the right size? Is the format a typical one like jpg? If it continues to not work, let me know and I can invoice you directly and upload your ad myself. 🙂 Would love to have you!
Got it working, my Ad Blocker was stopping me from uploading. And thanks for accepting it, big smiles for me today 😀
I checked out that post too, great bit of inspiration and more for me to focus on and think about. Will get some planning done today along with my review. Here’s to happy blogging!
Yay! I am really excited that you’re on my sidebar 🙂 Like, really happy! Thank you so much for supporting me here and I hope I can help you grow your blog, too 🙂 I’m glad you liked that post too! 🙂
This is so awesome! How timely of an article! I woke up this morning and I was like, “Blog…” I was feeling like I really had kind of lost my way after the #BlogEveryDayInMay challenge. And then, BAM, I go to your blog and whoop, THERE IT IS!
The way you wrote this, I felt like you were speaking directly to me: “Like, ERIKA… let me kindly tell me some things that would help you.” And part of me wanted to be like: “But… but…” and then I realized: “Oh, no, totally this is good advice, I really should take it, and to be honest, I was looking for a little bit of guidance and encouragement to keep going.”
Sincerely, thanks for this Melyssa. Such a bright soul. 😉
Erika, I LOVE the way you write! Seriously, your comments are always a blast to read. Like reading a fun magazine, but with a lot of heart and depth! It’s funny that you mentioned the Blog Everyday in May challenge, because as soon as June 1st hit, I was like WOW I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY. The first few days after that challenge were really hard for me to get back in the groove. I’m glad you felt similarly and that I’m not alone on that! I’m glad this could be helpful for you and I love the post you wrote in response! I think I needed to hear your advice, too. 🙂 And thank you for always being so darn sincere. Sincerity is one of the best qualities a person can have in my opinion, and you are totally rocking it.
Your blog really is a place to go to feel so good!!!!! *Does a high kick… virtually* (This is the part when I was going to say something about tasting the nectar or rolling in it or something, but then I felt like that was too creepy. But when you put creepy things in parentheses, they don’t count.)
hahaha rolling.in.it
These are all really great blogging tips! It’s really easy to forget to do things like renaming images, and all those little things add up. It was also great reading about sponsorship, I feel like that gets left out quite a bit in blogging tips.
I think you totally hit the nail on the head, Shannon, by saying that the little things add up. You’re so right. Blogging really IS about keeping track of and working on those little things. Eventually they lead to something bigger!
And I’m glad the sponsorship section helped you too! I’ve thought a LOT about sponsorship in the past month or so, so its importance has totally been on my mind lately!
Thanks for stopping by, Shannon! I’m really glad you could find some value in this.
Thanks Mel! I was elated when I discovered your blog today. I’m definitely a new follower. Can’t wait to check out more of your posts. I’d love to read more blogging tips from you.
Thank you Shannon! So happy to have you as a follower 🙂 I have lots more to share by way of tips, so I’m already planning another post on this! Stay tuned!
Such an awesome post! Growing your blog takes so much time and effort, but it’s totally worth it. I can’t believe you have only been blogging for four months! I’ve been blogging about two years now, and I finally feel like I’m starting to “get it,” haha.
Thank you Amanda! I agree completely – it takes a lot of time, but it is seriously so fun! I love it! And your blog LOOKS like it’s been around for two years! I’m not surprised – it’s really wonderful!
Wonderful post, and I’m really glad I found you through Erika’s blog! Definitely adding you to my reader.
I’ve been blogging on and off for years, and finally have my business together to the point where I (sort of) know what I’m doing and focusing on. One of the biggest things I’ve noticed is that commenting on blogs really does make a difference and create the amazing relationships I always wanted to find more of in the blogging community. I have sooooo many blogs in my reader that I love, but for the longest time I was never clicking over to leave a comment. If I can spend so much time reading them, surely I can pop over there to say hi and tell them I appreciate their work.
Thank you, Mandy! I’m so glad you could join me here, especially from Erika’s blog. She’s a wonderful lady. 🙂
You’re totally right! Sometimes I get lazy or don’t really even think to comment on someone’s blog, but whenever I do it really reinforces my relationship with them, so I make it a point to at least say something when I can. Glad we’re on the same page there and your comment here is a great start. 😉
By the way, you probably already know this but you mentioned your reader so I just wanted to check, but did you know the reader is being shut down on July 1st? Or do you use a different reader? 🙂
Yep! I use theoldreader.com, I tried several different readers and I really like that one 🙂
Groovy! I might just check that out too 🙂
This is the perfect post for me! Thanks so much for putting this up. I’m actually planning to run a promo in my blog (http://queensica.blogspot.com) since I’ve reached 9,000+ viewers. Great tips!! XX Sica
That’s great, Alex! I’m really glad it could be of help to you 🙂
LOVED this post and am so glad to have found your blog (found you via Erika’s blog, Chimerikal). And I agree with you on everything you said, especially about leaving comments on other blogs. I’ve found many of my now blog friends via comments on my favorite blogs and have also had readers find my blog via comments. And as a blogger, genuine comments are what lead to real friendships, not one-sentence comments with blog links! 🙂
And as someone who’s never dabbled in paying for ad space (just been a swapper for a few months now), I’ve always wondered exactly where and how to get started–aka I’m slowly dipping my feet into the paid sponsorship pool, so thank you for those tips. I’ve read tons of “grow your readership” posts but never have there been such easy-to-remember tips. So thank you for that!
Kiki! Thank you so much for joining me. 🙂 The fact that you came from Erika’s blog probably means you are a really lovely woman – I just love Erika and her blog! So glad you agree on the comments…I definitely feel you there. You can’t build a relationship with one word replies, right?! Right!
And I’m glad these tips could help you for sponsorships. I did swaps at first, too, and have learned most of what I know about accepting sponsorships just by doing it and observing what other people do. I’m happy these tips are easy to remember/helpful though! I hope they can be of use to you. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by today, Kiki!
I also found this blog through Erika and I am bookmarking it. My current blog is 8 months old but I have been blogging more consistently in the past two months. I am ALWAYS looking for ways to improve and your post is a great guide to my fute improvement. Thanks so much for imparting some of your know-how to us little people lol! 🙂
I’m so glad it could be helpful to you, Mary! I’m always looking for ways to improve this little space of mine too 🙂 Little by little, right? And you need to get out of here with your little people comment! Trust me, I am totally newbin’ it up over here! 🙂
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Great, I’m glad it could help you Minttu! 🙂
So, I probably already commented on this post but I just reread it for some inspiration and loved what you said about finding your voice and writing from a marketing perspective! Could you possibly give me a few tips? I feel like I write with a varying voice depending on my posts(which works for some people!) but I’m looking for more followers, potential sponsors/advertisers and to keep expanding!
KAYLI I’m so sorry for some reason I just noticed this comment but I see you left it almost two weeks ago! Wow!! Do you want to e-mail me and we can talk about it? 🙂
No worries!! I was totally stalking this post from forever ago anyways! I would love to e-mail you and chat about it 🙂 I’ll send one out today! Feel free to take your time getting back to me- I know how busy it all gets!
Great article Mel. Another tip is to diversify your content through video and photo, this will help to keep your audience captivated by providing variation in your posts.
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Thank you for the tip, Will! Good idea!
oooooh I found your blog today and I can’t even remember how I stumbled upon you – but I’m very glad I did! I have been blogging inconsistently for about 14 years [whoa that’s a long time], and am only recently really realizing how much I want to utilize my blog to its full potential. THANK YOU for wtiting this post!! I have read a LOT of “grow your readership” posts and tutorials, and this one is really resonating with me. I’m all jazzed up and excited 🙂 Thank you for re-igniting my fire! [PS: LOVE the idea of the SMC – can’t wait to hop on board for that adventure in the future]. With appreciation and excitemet, Ellie! xo
Aw Ellie this was such a wonderful comment to wake up to! I’m excited for this new blogging “journey” you’re on and so glad to help you a little along the way! I’d also love for you to be part of SMC next month!! Signups come out in August 🙂 Good luck with growing your blog, it will definitely be a fun ride!
Wonderful tips! I know I should definitely work on building a community – I don’t comment enough on other peoples blogs… Should start doing that. Thanks!
Thank you Naomi! And look at that, you commented here! Nice start 😉
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!…did I mention I LOVE this post. Anyone can google how to increase you blog readership and have tons of links pop up…btw this post was the 4th one on my google search results…but what I appreciated the most is the WAY you spoke to us your reader. This didn’t feel like an infomercial or stuffy. It felt like I was having a chat with my honest good girlfriend about this topic.You have a great “blogging voice”. I am will be referencing this post in a post I am doing and will mention you on twitter!
Thanks,
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Julia, your comment is making my eyes water! What a sweet woman you are! I am glad this could be helpful for you and even more glad that it felt like we were chatting – it is surely one of my goals as a writer here. Thank you so much for stopping by!
Hi Melyssa! I’m a friend of Kendrick’s and have been checking in with your blog every now and then. I truly appreciate this post as I’m working on developing my own blogs. Thank you!
Hi David! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂 Let me know if you have any other questions – I’m glad to help
You definitely have some great tips on here! And especially after checking out your stats on your ad page, I can definitely take you seriously. I’ve been working my butt off on SEO the last few months, and the one thing I ALWAYS forget to do is change my photo names. Since I take so many photos every month, I always use simple formats to save them (like vivi 1, vivi 2, or CA 1, CA 2, things like that), and those only help me on my computer, not in the SEO world! But, like you mentioned, if you see a post that consistently gets hits, revamp it and make it even better! My most viewed post (a boob review: http://www.mrsthreeinthree.com/2012/02/boob-review.html) features pretty horrible iphone photos and I just recently snapped some newer, better photos with my REAL camera to replace them.
I feel like I’m babbling. Am I babbling?
Crap.
Anyway, like I was saying originally: great tips!
Hi Karly! What I do for photos is later, when I am resizing them for my blog, I just save them all with the same name so it’s easy to copy and paste the name each time I save. I just add a number at the end to differentiate them. But I hear ya! Sometimes I just want to be lazy! And I love your advice on revamping old posts. I have some old ones that always get hits too and I really need to take the time and revamp them too! Thanks for that tip/reminder! haha you’re totally not babbling. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Karly!
I love this post, it was so super helpful. Also, I love your blog design and you have definitely gained a new follower!!
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Thank you Becky, I’m so glad it was helpful for you. 🙂 And thank you about my blog design!! Not to shamelessly plug myself…but ok to shamelessly plug myself, I design blogs in case you’re ever in the market 🙂 http://bumbleandbuzzdesign.com/
Fantastic post. Thank you for sharing these tips. I’m new to blogging and found your blog by pure accident (serendipity, perhaps?) Thank you!
Thank you Khristi! I’m so glad you stumbled upon me here, thanks for stopping by 🙂
This has been so helpful, thanks so much! I look forward to trying all of this and enjoying the fruits I my labour 🙂
Wonderful! Thank you Kristy, I’m glad it’s helpful. 🙂
Thank you! This was very helpful. I have a health & fitness blog I love running. It’s going well but I want to keep growing it so I will start applying the tips you have given. I’m also going to start doing Product Reviews and Giveaways. Very excited moving forward!
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That sounds great, Ashley! Best of luck 🙂
Melyssa, thank you so much for this great post. My company recently started our blog on home improvement (www.renovatd.com/blog) a few weeks ago and we are trying to figure out how to promote it. I think your suggestions on interacting with other bloggers & on twitter are really great.
My question is: if you run a company blog, how should you interact with other bloggers and on twitter – do you use the company account or the personal account? I’m torn because I want to build our company’s brand but at the same time, I feel like a personal account is well… more personal. Would love your opinion on this.
Thanks again for this great post.
Hey Lingke! This is a great question. I agree that building that personal vibe with your customers and followers is really important, and most of the reason people will stick around. I think it depends on the personality of your company, but I do really like Jason from Passionfruit Ads’ twitter account (@passionfruitads). Passionfruit Ads is a popular company that bloggers use to run their ads and though it is a business account, he regularly interacts with his followers as if they are his friends. He always offers useful information, but in a nonchalant way. I also know that some companies/blogs/etc utilize both their personal twitters and company twitters and display them on their websites. I hope that helped a smidgen! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Hey Mel, thanks for the suggestion. I will check out Passionfruit Ads!
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That’s wonderful to hear! Happy blogging, Cassie! 🙂
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Hi! These are great tips, thanks for the advice 🙂
Glad you like ’em! Good luck! 🙂
Glad you like ’em! Good luck! 🙂
Super helpful! I don’t ‘get’ twitter either, but now I’m going to start using it. Hopefully I can get the hang of it. Thanks so much for the tips!
I’m glad it could be helpful, Candace! Twitter is a little weird at first, but once you get the hang of it I’m sure you’ll see how powerful of a tool it is. 🙂
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Thanks for this! I’ve just started a new love affair with my blog which had lied dormant for a few years! I feel like i’m at the end of a very long tunnel – growing a community and gaining followers is so overwhelming. I wasn’t sure where to start but after reading your post i’m going to pick one piece of advice a day and tackle it! To start, i’ve just joined Disqus! Well done for doing so well in such a short amount of time 🙂 Inspiring.
Hi Sarah! I love that you’ve bounced back into blogging! It’s such a fun hobby. 🙂 I agree — it can be very overwhelming. But you’ll get into the groove very soon! Congrats on joining Disqus…it’s all about baby steps and balance. 🙂
Melyssa – I have read your ‘how to grow your blog’ posts many many times and they are so helpful. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge!
You’re so sweet, Beka! I’m so glad they’re helpful to you. 🙂
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Thank you SO MUCH for writing about this. I love writing about things I’m passionate about, but haven’t yet gotten into the groove of using social media to promote it (and many of the things on your list). I guess the reason is two-fold: 1. I am still figuring it all out – especially twitter!, and 2. Not sure if my blog is ready to be promoted (I want it to be beefy w/content and presented ‘just so’ before actively publicizing it). Any suggestions/insight as to whether I am right to think this way? I’m going against my typical actions by commenting here 🙂 Your post just hit home. Thank you again, Melyssa! You have a great layout, btw – clean and easy to read!
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Hi Melissa! (Great name by the way ;)) I’m so glad you’ve taken a liking to my blog — that means so much! 🙂
In terms of a monthly sponsorship budget, I’d say that whatever you’re comfortable spending is what is right for you. I can’t really remember how much I was spending when I wrote this article to be honest. But at the time, I was also selling a lot of sponsorships on this blog, so I would use some of that money to pay for sponsorships. Reinvesting, basically. 🙂 But let’s talk concrete numbers! Why not start with $10-20/month and see if that helps. Over time, if you’re able to spend more (maybe because you’re making money on your own blog), then you can increase that budget. Hope that helps. 🙂
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Glad it is helpful, Stella! 🙂 And I’m not entirely sure to be honest, but I don’t think you can add plugins like this to sites using the free WordPress version. >_<
Aw, that’s too bad. Another reason why I should probably upgrade to the full version.. Anyway thanks for answering Melyssa! xx
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I love Buffer too! 🙂
I thought this was very helpful, but also intimidating. I recently started a blog, and like you said… I have no idea what direction I am doing in. My intended purpose was to share my experiences and offer advice for others dealing with the same unfortunate situations that I am. I do not have my own domain, and I probably won’t because I cannot afford to put money into it. I don’t want to come off lazy, but I am intimidated by the whole blog thing. I am just exited to start something fresh and new in my life. My hope is to inspire others, which is exactly why I googled “how to grow your blog” and came upon this very article. I’m not sure what other advice you could give, but if you would like to check out my blog then I’ll leave my URL. Be warned, I only have three entries and it is still very raw.
http://www.strength4tomorrow.weebly.com
Thank you!
You give the best tips in a fun & easy to use way-I always look forward to reading your blog!!!
Aww that is the sweetest! Means so much to me, Judith. Thank you!
You have some amazing juice here, Melyssa! Building relationships with other bloggers by leaving comments and Twitter chats has been amazing for me. I’m such an introvert that online I really come out of my shell a lot more and building these relationships means so much more than just the traffic boost. I absolutely loved this post 🙂
That is SO awesome to hear, Sara Rae! I’m an introvert too, and totally know what you mean. 🙂
found your blog via pinterest. new blogger here & i appreciate the tips!!
-c.
http://theblockishaute.com
So glad to help, Cymone! 🙂
Great read! As many others I am new to the blogging world, introverted, and nauseously passive. Your comments about building relationships with other bloggers is consistently recommended so I know I will have to become more assertive in that area. The SEO suggestion and explanation was great. Since I didn’t know what it meant, I had it turned off. Finally, the comments about the amount of time needed was very enlightening. I definitely have to commit more hours towards growing the blog. Thanks again for sharing the wisdom you’ve gained! I will be adding you to my list of bloggers I follow. ?
Tonya, I’m so happy to hear that this advice was well received! It sounds like you have a real passion for blogging, and I’m very excited to see how you transform it to fit who you are. Best of luck! 🙂
I have actually JUST started my blog a week ago! I have had the desire for a few years and just never made the “leap”, so reading articles like this are so helpful to me. Thank you for sharing 🙂 Would love for you to check my blog out sometime! http://www.re-fabbed.com
Awesome to hear, Brooke! So excited for you and your new blog! Best of luck, it looks great. 🙂
I have just found your blog and you have some amazing helpful posts! thankyou so much :))
Thank you Lauren! So happy to hear that. 🙂
This is so fab! Thank you for sharing ?
You’re so welcome! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Thank you! I reactivated my twitter account because other bloggers used it. I used to go on it once a week because I thought it was plain boring! But i’ve just cleared out a few inactive people i’m following and replaced them with people i’m actually interested in! Its difficult to stay consistent on social media when you’re following boring accounts, so hopefully this will change!
Great point!! It really IS difficult to be active on social media when you have no one to interact with Love that!
This is amazing! I just started my blog a few weeks ago and have done a ton of research on how to grow. This is the first time in a while that I’ve seen some fresh ideas. I’ll see if I can budget for some sponsorships and get my butt back on twitter! Thanks for sharing!
http://DisforDreamer.com
So glad to help! 🙂
Thank you for his I started a blog about a month ago and really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it. I wasn’t sure if I just need something to get my thoughts out there or should I try to monetize it or could I do both. This was helpful. I know I need to do better with connecting with other bloggers and using the power of twitter for good lol.
Bertram
http://www.howwebecame.us
Awesome, Bertram! Connecting with other bloggers is a really fun part of blogging, even if you don’t decide to monetize. You may end up with some great new friends. 🙂
Seriously though, I can’t get enough of your advice! I’m in my third year of blogging and though I love it, and I have some very loyal readers (hi, Mom and Dad), some days I don’t feel like I’m really getting anywhere with it. I’m so glad I found you and all of your many resources. Keep it up!
Susannah // http://www.agreatergorgeous.com
Aw thank you Susannah! I’m really glad you’ve found some useful advice here. 🙂 Your blog looks awesome, by the way!
Thank you! Definitely planning on pumping it up in the coming months!
finally some tips that i haven’t heard a million times elsewhere! ha! thanks! i love that you’re all for sponsorship. i remember reading some huge blog that said they’ve never paid for advertising and i was like ‘oh i can do that’. no, i can’t. because that blog started like 8 years ago when there weren’t MILLIONS of blogs out there. it’s a different world now!
XO bri
http://www.lifebybri.com
Thank you Bri!! And it’s sooo true! I feel like it can be hard to take the advice of bloggers (or popular social media users) who started when the market was empty because their strategies aren’t really applicable anymore since things are so different now!
This is such great advice! I’ve already implemented some of them, but there are a few that I definitely need to work on. It seems too like you really practice what you preach and follow this advice. Also, it’s amazing how much blogging teaches you. I know this was posted awhile ago so you’ve been at it longer than four months now, but I’m on my third week of blogging and I can already relate. It’s a very exciting learning process and I really appreciate all the advice you give!
Lindsey | Finding Balance in Life
Thank you for this awesome comment, Lindsey! I’m so glad you found value in this advice. It really is amazing what blogging can teach your right?! I’m still learning and it’s so much fun! 🙂
Thanks for all these tips! I’ve been working on all that commenting and link-up stuff, but when it comes to SEO I’m a little more behind. One thing that really bothers me is when I try to leave tags in the file name, all my files have really long names which is pretty cumbersome to me, when I just want to know directly what’s inside that picture. The other thing about tags in the file names that bugs me is that the files get re-ordered, often not in the order I want them to appear in my blog post, which can be a hassle too. How do you get around this? Also, does ‘Alt Text’ contribute to SEO? I always leave keywords of the post in the ‘Alt Text’ section.
xx, Roxanne
http://www.themagicalcanopy.wordpress.com
You always have the greatest tips! I started my twitter account a month ago and didn’t get it AT ALL. I was asking myself questions like “What am I doing?”, “What’s the point of it?”, “Why other bloggers keep on saying how important it is?” for several weeks. Then one day I started to be more active, I didn’t plan it, it’s just my feed was quite interesting that day, and it worked. No, I didn’t get one hundred followers in an hour or something, but I finally answered my own questions (see above). I just wish that that whole social media thing wouldn’t take so much time, so maybe I need to start using Hootsuite. And I really like #8 in this list, to write a short one sentence comment and then copy-paste link to my own blog feels so insincere for me. Isn’t it just a kind way to say: “I don’t care about you and your blog, but I want you to check out mine and don’t forget to subscribe”?
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with others! I’m off to grow my blog like a boss now 🙂
You are rockin’ my world with this comment, girl! I’m so glad you enjoyed these tips. I was SO much like you when I first started using Twitter. I felt super lost. I’m glad you’ve joined us on the dark side now and see how valuable it can be! 🙂 And I totally feel you on those one sentence comments. Glad you get it! You’re definitely on your way to being a blog boss, my friend. 🙂
I truly appreciated the tips, especially those about building relationships. Guees, I also need to keep on track with Seo))
http://www.kateillustrate.com
Glad to help, Ekaterina! 🙂
I love these tips! Really helpful and quite obvious when you think about it but sometimes it’s easy to forget the basics xx
Glad you like them! And totally, right? The basics are the easiest to forget!
These are some awesome tips. I think my blog is heading in the right direction. Anybody that has some time, check it out and let me know. It’s all about being a beginner DJ. I am new to the scene and would like as much input I could get. As far as advertising goes, what do you suggest to start with if funds are tight?
Hi Aaron! I would definitely suggest doing guest posts on other (similar, but slightly larger) sites as opposed to doing advertising. Not only is it free, but it’s a great way to grow your audience. 🙂
Yeah that makes sense. Thanks!!
Oh man, these are so helpful. I’m just trying to get my blog off the ground, and your tips about Twitter and SEO are great. Thanks so much!
That’s great to hear, Elizabeth! 🙂
These are awesome tips but i have a question, how do you discover fellow bloggers? I have tried to find my it is nearly impossible!
http://shushpriya.blogspot.co.uk
Good question, Priya! I recommend creating an account with Bloglovin’ and searching for blogs by their categories. Search for blogs that are similar to yours and start following them. 🙂
I’m obviously very new to blogging because I would also like to know (how) to guest post for blogs, find the same niche blogs & hit the ground running. How important is affiliate marketing when you have such a new blog with low traffic? These tips were really helpful. Thank you for the Hootsuite tip!
http://www.thegenderexperts.com/blog
Hi there! Guest posting is the act of posting an article (of yours) on another site. You can do this by building a little rapport with other bloggers (perhaps on social media or by leaving comments on their blogs) and then sending them an email with an idea for a guest post for their site.
To find similar niche blogs, I recommend checking out Bloglovin.com, which has tons of blogs that you can search by category.
Since your blog is new, I wouldn’t worry about affiliate marketing just yet. Focus on creating awesome content and when your traffic grows, then consider adding affiliate links to your posts. 🙂
I am not that knew to blogging but have decided that I needed to figure out ways to reach out to a larger audience because I really only have been reaching people from my college and high school community. I love the tips you suggest and will for sure be trying to do more on my end to expand my blog! I think first step is starting to comment on other posts more thoughtfully and think about participating in sponsorships! I needed a good post to help me out! Thank you!
http://www.dreamerseekingself.wordpress.com
That sounds like a great strategy, Becca! Best of luck to you and thank you so much for taking the time to comment here. 🙂
Thanks for this post Melyssa, even though I’ve been blogging for a year… I’m now in the process of rebranding with a new url (to market to my correct audience) Starting again is slightly disheartening; but this list I’m going to keep and make it my blogging priority, so thankyou Melyssa! I’ve been an avid reader for a while & thought I should make a comment 😉 tick done ! also shared this on twitter – so I can go back & read again! I love how helpful you are!
You are so sweet, Melinda! Thank you so much for leaving a comment. Rebranding can be a scary process, but it sounds like you have a more solid vision of which direction to head in, which is awesome and will likely help you grow your site even faster.
Thank you for sharing this on Twitter, too. That is so kind of you, Melinda! I really appreciate it.
Finally a post about how to blog that actually has helpful tips on blogging! Thanks Mel, will be tweeting this!
haha! Glad you liked this, Hayley. Thanks for the comment and tweet! 🙂
I LOVE THIS! great info for new bloggers! Thank you so much!
Desirée ll melodydamsel.blogspot.com
You’re so welcome, Desiree! Glad to help. 🙂
So helpful! It’s tricky to grow a blog simply because you want to get word out about what you do and what you love without being annoying on social media.
I totalllyyyy get that, Amanda. Hope you found some helpful ideas here. 🙂
another great post! Your advice is incredibly helpful 🙂 xo
Wonderful! So happy to hear that, Beth. 🙂
Hey Melyssa!
Great post!Thanks for sharing your tips.There are very helpful for me as I’m a new to blogging!5 th tip is damn true,because when the first time I saw your blog,which made me interest to read for more is your gorgeous website!
Thank you Scylla! I’m so glad these tips resonated with you.
And that’s so sweet of you to say. I’m really happy you like the website design here. 🙂 Thank you!
Great advice! I recently started over, created a new blog. I found that my niche and focus just wasn’t there with the first blog. These are great tips to help me get to where I want to be. Thank you!
That’s awesome to hear, Tiff. I hope your new blog turns out wonderfully. 🙂
Just found your blog, and your tips are so helpful! Usually I find blogging/social media tips overwhelming and I just end up avoiding them, but I’m loving yours. Thank you for sharing 🙂
That is really sweet of you, Kate. I toootally know that overwhelming feeling (the worst), so I try to keep things a little lighter around here. Thanks so much for being here!
Love all the blogging tips you have. I have recently redesigned my blog and I am posting regularly so reading your tips are very helpful! Thank you for sharing x
http://writtenbymexoxo.blogspot.co.uk
That’s wonderful to hear, Tori! Congrats on the new blog design. Looks lovely!
Hi Melyssa,
I have to confess!! i love your blog, so much helpful informations. Will certainly come back for more, followed you on Instagram that I can come back easily. I’m a travel and style blogger, started a couple months ago, still working on committing to it. :p I’ve managed to put my blog together nicely, but still having a hard time to draw traffic since I am quite new to this. I don’t even know where to find my potential favorite bloggers on wordpress hahahaha! In the other hand, my instagram https://instagram.com/ohsoroxanne/ is growing rapidly. After reading your posts, I know the areas I need to work on to make it better. Thank you again!:)
Roxy x
http://soroxanne.wordpress.com/
That’s awesome, Roxy! You’re instagram is beautiful. I’d suggest checking out Bloglovin’ to find other bloggers in your niche that you can connect with. Bloglovin’ allows you to sort by category, which should be helpful for finding similar sites. 🙂
I’m so happy I found your blog. Very useful, honest and easy to read. Thank you for helping me with my blogging goals! http://www.meowlifestyle.com
You’re so welcome, Jenna! 🙂
Hi!
Thanks so much for the tips! I just recently started my blog and there’s definitely still some appearance aspects that I need to work on, it’s just a matter of me figuring out how to do it! I’ve been pinning my posts on Pinterest and now I’m thinking it would probably be a good idea to start a twitter for my blog too.
Thanks for the information on SEO’s and everything, I’ll definitely have to look into that.
Madisen
missmadisen.com
Glad this was helpful, Madisen! I definitely recommend starting a twitter account. 🙂
Thanks for the useful information! I have only been blogging for a few months and need all the help I can get!
You’re so welcome, Jamiee! 🙂
As a new blogger, I’ve pinned and printed and saved every helpful tip I can get my hands on, but I think I’ve learned more from the articles I’ve found on Nectar Collective than any other website. Your articles are concise and full of great information, and they fit any type of blog, not just business blogs. Thanks for all the information and help you’re giving!
Michelle, this is such an awesome comment and appreciate that so much. Thank you for reading and being here, friend!
So well written. As a new blogger its hard to find good advice, and coming from TNC is really helpfull. Thank you for the information and for all the free e-books. You are a good person.
That means so much to me. Thank you for that <3
Thanks for another great post. Love being able to nip over to your blog and add lots of useful things to my blogging to-do list.
Aw thank you for saying that, Blair! 🙂
Have read tons of your posts today 🙂 I’m looking forward to take my blog more seriously 🙂 I just installed the Yoast plugin and today I had my first contact with SEO. I’m trying to learn more about that 🙂 Thanks for all the great advice. Oh and I have to say your blogposts are so well organised/ structured, very easy to read, useful and interesting. Thanks 🙂
You are SO sweet, Vitoria. Thank you for this awesome comment. I’m glad you’ve been finding useful content here. 🙂
These tips were extremely helpful. Thank you so much for sharing your tricks of the trade. We are new bloggers and are finding it difficult to stay motivated and continue writing when the readership feels limited. However, we are looking forward to expanding our blog and your advice is definitely a start. https://lipsticktrilogy.wordpress.com/
Thank you for this great comment, ladies. So glad you found this post helpful. 🙂
Thank you for the tips! I’ve just moved my blog to wordpress.org so am working on growing my readership and reaching more people. Your website is so helpful to give me some new ideas, hopefully I can put them into action. My blog to do list is full of your posts!
You are so awesome. 🙂 Really glad you’ve been liking the posts. Thank you for reading. 🙂
I’ve noticed that A LOT of my traffic comes from Twitter. How? I have no
clue because I don’t participate as much in it as I do with Facebook or
Instagram, but I know that I must feed that audience and I’m definitely
going to take your tips and initiate relationships. I also really like
the thought of giving my followers something new to read besides my own
stuff. This is especially helpful when I’m in a bit of a rut. Thank you!
Twitter is often a place where bloggers hang out, so it makes sense to me! 🙂 Try promoting more of your posts there to see if it increases your pageviews even more. 🙂
great advice, thanks! 😉
Glad this helped! 🙂
I loved this! Thank you for taking the time to write this out. I feel like my days will be consumed with building up my blog, do you have any tips for someone trying to build up their blog while working as well? Thanks!
Hey Kelly! So happy you found this helpful! Building a blog is definitely time consuming but also fun 🙂 no post about that JUST yet 😉
This is seriously the single best post I’ve come across about building your blog. Thank you so much!! Will definitely be coming back to this post time and again!
That’s so sweet of you, Arielle. Thank you for saying that. I really appreciate it. 🙂
wow this was really helpful, Im definitely going to working on this especially twitter since that is one that I also struggle with. Thanks again for all your help
http://www.reneesexton.co.nz
I’m glad this was helpful, Renee. 🙂 I would definitely put a focus on Twitter and try joining Twitter chats as well. They are a great place to learn and connect.
Yeah I think i’ll try that, I seem to focus my time on FB but twitter would be a fun one to get into 🙂 thanks again, I’m loving your blog and Im finding everything so helpful x
I’m so glad! Thanks for your support! 🙂
Hi Melyssa, I just left a comment on another article of yours but I have to tell you again how helpful your advice is! I’m looking forward to using all your advice 🙂
Aw, thank you so much to me! You are so sweet, and this seriously put the biggest smile on my face! 🙂
Hi Melyssa do you know of any plug ins for other blogs such as Blogger?
Thanks and I have been a fan of yours for awhile, and I’m just starting my own blog!
xx
http://madavenue.blogspot.com
Hey Maddie! I don’t personally use Blogger, but with a quick Google search I found this site: http://www.bloggerplugins.org/ you might be able to find something on there, it seems like they have a ton of tutorials!
How awesome that you just started your blog! I just took a little peek and saw your tassel garland post. So neat! Keep up the great work, girl 🙂
Hi
I’ve been reading through your blog today and have been picking up some great tips.
I have read a lot about improving SEO by adding image details in the “alternative text” field however when it comes to naming the actual image file – is that something that needs to be done on your phone/PC before the image is uploaded? I’ve noticed once the image is uploaded it’s impossible to change the file name.
Hope I made sense 🙂
Hi there! Yes, you will need to change the name of your photo before uploading it.
Hi this is really helpfull as I’ve just started blogging last week! Just wondering on my WordPress blog can anyone comment/like/follow or is it limited to wp users!
———————————-
Check out my blog! ⬇️⬇️ Any tips?
laughwithwill.wordpress.com
Hi Will, welcome to the blogging world! Anyone can comment, they will just need to sign in.
Hi this is very helpful, I just started blogging not long ago. I would love to take a look at your SEO ebook that you link to above, but it looks like the link is broken 🙁 Is there another place I can find that?
Hi Erin! Are you on the email list? If so send me an email at hi@thenectarcollective.com so you can get access to the free library!
This was so helpful, thank you! I do have a question maybe you can
answer, I started blogging on blogger, but hear a lot about wordpress
aswell, which is better for starting bloggers? xo
Hi Claudia! It is always best to start where you want to end, if that makes sense. If you want to build a business, a self hosted site on WordPress will be a great way to go. There is a learning curve. Squarespace is more simple if you are looking for something a little less daunting to try!
This was outstanding. I am trying to build up a readership to my two websites, and I find articles like this to be incredibly motivating. Keep it up!
Oh, I’m so happy to hear this is motivating you! Thanks for dropping in.
I would love if you would check out my sites, http://www.secondhandwords.com and http://www.witnesstowellness.com The second one in particular is special to me, as it covers my experience living with and loving someone who is chronically ill.
This is an absolutely awesome post. Thanks so much for putting it together. I’ve never heard of a blog linkup but I can see how they’d be effective. Still sinking my teeth into the world of branding but I’ll get there, eventually. Thanks again! Bookmarking to implement later!
Hey Tremaine! Branding is a fun and ever evolving experience. I’m glad to hear these tips helped!
I just wanted to say I didn’t realize I had an account and I promise I’ll fix it. I have been waiting to have major back surgery so most of my time is into my website and little bits of crafts only because I’m not able to move around without so much pain. I feel embarrassed
OMG… this is absolutely true, been trying to grow my blog business and can relate to some of the things i have been missing out. Thanks alot for t
he tips.
Thanks Moshal! I appreciate you stopping by.
Thanks Moshal! I appreciate you stopping by.
Hey Melyssa! Great post! My blog is only a couple of months old, so I’m sure this info will come in handy. I know I’ll be back to visit your site for more blogging tips. 🙂
I am so glad that you found this helpful!
I am so glad that you found this helpful!
thank you for sharing
Thank YOU for reading!
This is heaven-sent, Melyssa. Thank you! Although I haven’t started doing them yet, I feel like this sparks the inspiration to go BIGGER with my blogging. I’ll let you know how it turns out. XX
http://www.lilmissbianca.com
@biancamecastro
I am so glad that you are finding this helpful Bianca!
Your whole blog has been so helpful! Thank you so much – I’d love the downloads in the yellow box but the leadbox is broken. 🙂 Any chance I can find that somewhere else on the site? Thank you!
Hey Betsy! Email Tiffany at hi@thenectarcollective.com, she’ll make sure you get the password to the library.
This is so helpful would love if you could tell us how to overcome shyness on other social media as i sometimes do get scared people will make fun of me..
Hi Semra! You just gotta go for it. Shyness is a personality trait that takes consistency to work through 🙂
i always think what if they think I’m going to fail and end up actually failing. But i enjoy this and i hope in future i will over come this xx
Thank you so much for your advice! Even though i’m still a newbie you’ve helped me so much in creating my first blog. It’s still in the works and wont officially be up and running until January 15th, but if you have the time to check it out and give some feedback that would be awesome. It’s features are, volunteering, travel, and music. Thank you so much again!! Have an awesome night! 🙂 http://endlessnotes.wordpress.com
Hey Ian, that is really amazing! I am glad my tips has helped you get your blog going!
great advice!
Glad it helped!
Thanks for the advice! I am feeling some kind of way about joining Twitter, so I’m glad it gets better and I’m not the only one who felt that way! Lol 🙂 Have a nice day, and thanks for writing.
Erica @ TheBigRedPatchHouse.com
Anytime, Erica! I’m glad you will give it another chance 🙂
Love your posts always, but I thought I would let you know that your content upgrade (Want to grow your blog for free) takes you to a page that says “Oops, page not found” just a heads up. 🙂
Thank you so much for letting me know, Scott! I’m on it! 😉
You’re welcome. I would want someone to do the same for me on my site. 🙂
I absolutely love your blog! I’m a personal stylist from London and I’ve been finding it so hard to grow my blog. I came across one of your posts through google and your whole blog is so helpful, I’m definitely going to be using some of your strategies!
http://www.tailoredstyling.com
Aw thank you Amber! So glad you’ve found helpful strategies here. 🙂
Great post! I had the samend growing pains with twitter, I couldn’t figure it out, but it’s definitely helped grow my blog! I get traffic from there everyday!
http://Www.styletothet.com
That’s awesome, Christina! It’s definitely one that just takes some time. 🙂
thank you for this post, sometimes you need the reminder!
You’re so welcome, Raye! Glad you liked it. 🙂
This is so so helpful! Starting a blog from scratch makes you feel like a small fish in a huge, huge pond and it can sometimes feel like you’re never getting anywhere! I love tips like these to just remind me that its all worth it and I can get to where I want to!:)
Cloe X http://clxelouise.blogspot.com
Do you need a loan to boost your business, or start up a new business, or to buy a house, or complete your uncompleted building? please you can get loan of any amount at an affordable interest rate in my company Anthony Weslie loan Company. our website is http://www.anthonyweslieloancompany.simplesite.com or you can call us on +13237965815, +2348054443282, +447031906879. we look forward to hearing from you. Thanks.,
I love your writing style!! Fun to read! Glad I found your blog!
Thanks so much!
I love all of your help! Your tips have inspired me to keep working hard on my blog website and finding new ways to improve it. Thank you so much for writing this!
Thank you so much for reading, Samantha! So glad this is helpful, keep it up! 🙂
thank you for all the tips! i just started a blog 3 days ago, which is both exciting and terrifying but mostly exciting. i think this post will be very helpful for me, so thank you for taking the time to write it!!
Welcome to blogging Jenna, how exciting! Thank you so much for reading and taking the time to comment! Good luck and create something awesome 🙂
Thank you for the great tips. This is exactly what I was looking for as a new blogger! I have never understood Twitter either! But I will keep tweeting away now that I know that it is worth while! 🙂
I’m so glad! You’ll get the hang of Twitter in no time 🙂
I loved this post, thank you for sharing! I’ve been blogging off-and-on for a few years, but I never decided to commit until my latest blog! I’ve been trying to focus more on SEO and becoming a part of the planner community on Instagram and Twitter– your tips for twitter have been an amazing help! 🙂
Sounds like you’re off to an incredible start with your latest blog, keep it up! >_<
This was really helpful, thank you so much!!
Thank YOU Sisley!
Awesome! As a newbie blogger it has been challenging at times. This blog post has been very helpful, especially the emphasis on using SEO properly. I will dedicate some time to learning more about how to use it effectively on my blog. Also I am still learning twitter, I really feel like a fish out of water when trying to interact with others there.
My blog is letstalknaturalhair.com
We all start at the beginning, and I love that you’re taking time to really research and learn! Thank you so much for reading and commenting. xo
This has been very helpful
I have been blogging since 2009 (seriously since 2011) and i’ve seen a slow but steady growth to my blog. I’m really trying to take it to the next level but I seem to have plateaued. It’s so hard to keep up with pinterest, FB, Instagram, Twitter and now they are putting restrictions similar to FB on instagram sites. I’m just in a rut.
Hi Abigail! I’m so glad this post has been helpful. Definitely don’t try to be everywhere at once, but choose a few strategies at a time. Keep up the great work 🙂
I have just started blogging ( http://www.thereviewbot.com ) a couple of weeks back, and have been trying to learn effective ways to grow. Your post is very informative. Thanks a lot!
Also, can you please write an article on how to manage your content effectively?
I’ll definitely look into a post about this! Thank you 🙂
I quite like your theme, especially for a new blog, is it a paid theme?
Thank you so much for taking the time to post this! I have only been blogging for a few months and have been struggling to figure out a method of growing my blog that works for me.. I can’t wait to try out some of these new ideas! Thank you! xoxo, Hayley
tallandtrendytales.com
Keep me updated on how everything is going soon! 🙂 Thank you Hayley!
Very helpful! Thanks! I also signed up for the email subscription! Cheers, Julie
http://www.shesadreamcatcher.com/
Aw, you’re the best! Thanks Julie 🙂
This was super helpful! I have been trying to learn the ropes for quite some time and it is really nice to finally see a place where there are like-minded people offering assistance and advice for the little guys!
Thanks for this!
You’re so welcome!
Yes! Engagement is key! You have to be willing to comment and respond as those will make you stand out. Great post!
That tip your friend gave you about how you’re writing your posts is so important. My blog (http://ivanaabroad.com) began as a journal for my time studying abroad, but I’m working on making it more appealing to the general public now. I may have to go back and edit some of those old posts. Thanks for all the lovely advice!
Of course, and thank you so much for commenting Ivana! 🙂
I dont know what i would do without thc melissa. No one is more amazed than myself that I’ve been able to do this. Thanks so much!!!
You are so sweet, Stephanie. <3 Just made my day!
girl, you’ve made a lot of my days! Really, had I not found your site, I don’t know if I would have had the courage to do this. I hope to meet you at a blogger event someday so I can give you a squeeze! Thanks again, Mel. What you do is awesome. 🙂
Great article Melyssa
Your blog posts are so motivating! 🙂 Every one has to start somewhere!
Thank you for the inspiration.
xoxo Brittany
http://www.beyourownsunshine.com
Thank you so much Brittany! 🙂
I have been lurking through your posts for a while now and they are all so helpful! I have tried to start blogging so many times without a real plan. Reading all these posts has helped give me a much more strategic view on it! I hope that it will equate to a real following this time around. Thank you for the killer content!
Nick
http://www.nicklandano.com
That’s awesome, Nick! So glad to help. 🙂
I’ve been ‘blindly blogging’ for about 3 years now and I’ve finally decided to do something about it. I’ve promised to myself to read every post on this website and hopefully apply as much from it as possible. Looks like I have a long but very productive way to go, hehe! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to change 🙂
Aw you’re so kind, Twoja! I genuinely hope the posts here help you. Don’t forget to take as much action as you read. 🙂
They definitely do! I will do my best.
These are such amazing tips and I have already set to work implementing them all… I downloaded your SEO tips book, which was awesome btw. The one thing I am so confused about and can’t seem to find an answer to – where do you add the meta description for your post??? I use WordPress and the Yoast app you talk about, I am sure it is really obvious, but I have asked so many people and can’t figure it out for the life of me… haha. Anyways thanks again SO much, really excited I found your blog.
Rachael
http://rachaelburgess.com
Hey Rachael! You can edit the meta description on the same page you edit a post on. Just scroll to the bottom and you can’t miss it 😉
I’m not even sure how I came across your post, but it’s everything I’ve been looking for! I will be bookmarking this page and getting some of your ebooks ASAP!! ????
Yay! I’m so glad you found this helpful 🙂 Best of luck to you!
I’m fairly new to blogging and have been feeling a bit lost and confused, so thank you for this! Going to explore some more of your site now 🙂
YAY! I’m so glad you found this helpful, Harriet 🙂 Best of luck to you!
Thanks for your tips! I will definitely use them and take them serious. I will try my best and will keep your information in mind!
Hi Conny! I’m so glad you found this post helpful 🙂 Best of luck and please keep me posted on your progress!
I’m hoping to monetize my blog by the end of the year, and these are such great tips for building a base. Thank you!
Hi Tabitha! I’m so glad you found the tips helpful 🙂 Best of luck to you!
Hi Melyssa, thank you for sharing these tips! They are so helpful, especially since I’m getting serious about monetizing my blog this year. I also had no idea about SEO’s until recently, and I have already noticed a slight increase in my traffic. I have made it a goal to really put in effort and research as much as I can, so far, everything is looking good. Thanks again for sharing these tips, I think one thing I should work on more is how I’m writing my posts. That’s something I had never really thought about…
xo, Lily
Beauty With Lily
Hi Lily! I’m so glad you found these tips helpful 🙂 Thanks for the comment and best of luck my friend!
Seeing this comment box and not commenting after that great advice you gave felt wrong! So here I am taking your advice! 😉 Thank you so so so much for those tips. They seem like no-brainers but to be honest, I haven’t been putting much emphasis on a few of them. Reading your post was great for me to self-reflect and now I’m ready to put it all into action. Again, thank you!
Keisha
Sweeneytraining.com
That is amazing to hear! Thanks so much for sharing with us and best of luck to you, Keisha 🙂
Hi Melyssa. I stumbled on your site looking for design tips for my own blog. 30 minutes later, I’m still here and still reading. Great stuff!
Hey Tim! I’m so glad you’re liking the content here! Best of luck with everything and please me posted on how things are going 🙂
I just started my first blog and this is article has been so incredibly helpful! I was definitely struggling on how to grow my blog and I have so many ideas and to-dos on what I plan to do moving forward. Thank you SO much for all of the advice!
Yay! I’m so glad you found this post helpful, Catie! Best of luck with everything and please keep me posted on your progress 🙂
Melyssa! So happy you popped up in my Facebook feed – I just launched my organic gardening blog last week and can’t wait to dig into all your amazing information! I haven’t grazed Twitter yet, but am finding Instagram to be a useful way to connect with gardeners across the world. Liking, following and writing thoughtful comments on other people’s photos is working well for me – just a lil tidbit I’m case other people read this!
All my best,
Fran
heirloomsoul.com
Hey Frances! I’m so glad you found me too 🙂
It sounds like you’re doing a great job taking action on IG so keep that up and please keep me posted on your progress!
Love this! I’m subscribing to your library.
I’m going to be interviewing people in the community and writing articles for my blog. How do I copyright my work?
Thanks for the kind words, Cristalynn! In regards to copyrighting your work, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Simply include a copyright notice/page on your site and deal with any issues individually if they happen. Good luck!
Hit the nail on the head with this one!
Thanks GiGi! I’m so glad you liked it 😀
Thanks for the insight! I do have a question, how do you suggest making blogger friends? Do you suggest forums? If so, which forums do you find work the best for you? I am new to blogging and would like to expand my local, and larger, network.
Thanks!
Thanks for the great question Laura! I would recommend joining blogging related Facebook groups and interacting with the members inside of them. Help and support the members as much as you can and you’ll be making lots of new bogger friends in no time!
*Shamless plug* I set up a Facebook group that’s filled to the brim with the most kind and incredible bloggers and we’d love to have you join us 😀
https://www.facebook.com/groups/blogandbizbffs/
Melyssa, thanks for the reply! Checking out the Facebook group now! Can’t wait to see how others can help and how I can contribute to others. Thanks again.
Thank you so much for these blogging post tips! They are right on point and will really help me going forward with my blogging. Thanks again for taking the time to write such a relevant blog!
-Beth
Visit me at http://www.TheStyleBouquet.com
your envye links didn’t work for, me however this was helpful hopefully i can grow my blog haven’t written much lately been trying to update my look and decide what to write about first thanks for the information.
Ah! Thanks for the heads up, Jessie. I’ll work on getting those fixed right away 🙂
Thank you so much for all of the great advices! I’m so glad that your link popped up in my feed (almost like a sign that I needed to really get my blogging juices going!). The thing that I am struggling with the most is what to actually name my blog! Or am I the only one that is putting too much thoughts into this? 🙂 How would you recommend going about naming a “lifestyle” blog?
Thanks again for all of the great recommendations! I know I speak for all the new bloggers out there and we appreciate it so much! Keep up the great work!!
Thanks so much for the kind words, Sophie! Coming up with the perfect business name is such an important (and fun) part of the process so it’s important to put a lot of thought into it 🙂
If you haven’t checked it out yet, here’s a post that might be able to help right away: https://melyssagriffin.com/choose-perfect-name-blog-business-free-worksheet/
Thank you so much for this! I run a website called lightloveandspirit.com; I am a modern psychic medium and momma! I have had my blog since December and while I do have regular views I am trying to reach more people! I also use Yoast SEO and I love it!
Wow, a modern psychic medium?? How cool! 😀
Ah yes, reaching more people is definitely a hot topic. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I created a free 6-day course on how to do just that, which might be able to help you right away: https://melyssagriffin.com/blog-audience-blueprint/
Good luck!
Yep, that’s what I am and what I do haha! I love it! My website is about trying to bring a down to Earth approach to a not so down to Earth subject. I haven’t checked it out; I will right now, thank you!
I *loved* this! I love blogging and all the friendships which have blossomed overtime but learning to how to do it more effectively (and successfully) is exciting!
I really loved how easy-to-read and follow your tips were; super helpful!
Blessings to you!
Frannie
Thanks for the kind words, Frannie! I’m so glad you found this post helpful 🙂
Thank you so much! I’m an independent author trying to grow my readership through blogging. I hd one blog that had a around a thousand views and was popular for several months, but that’s certainly not the norm! It’s not easy finding the time to write, blog, edit, market, and be a mother and wife. I need all the time saving and marketing tips I can get! Thanks again! https://amyschisler.wordpress.com
Hey Amy! Ah, yes time-saving systems are absolutely critical when there is so much life to juggle. If you haven’t checked it out yet, this post may help right away:
https://melyssagriffin.com/business-systems/
Melissa, your words of wisdom are gold right now. But, I’ll be honest. It’s overwhelming the amount of things to remember when writing a post. For me, this sucks. Why can’t things be more simple. Any way… thanks so much for the tips. They are GREAT!
http://www.ourlivingnotes.com
I feel ya! There’s a TON of information out there to absorb but you’ll get the hang of it and eventually figure out what works for you and your blogging style. Good luck! 🙂
Really useful information. I also can be helpful here 🙂 So here is my saving grace: PDFfiller helped me to fill out the AZ CRF2M1 and and esign them. Just try it
http://goo.gl/S3ADpO, you’ll love it.This is the most informative and best bloggers help post I have ever read! Omg you have just helped me out so much when I am sitting there at my journal writing a to-do list on how to gain exposure and push my blog so I cannot thankyou enough! I will definitely be an avid reader of your blog from here on out!
Blog || Instagram
YAY! I’m so glad to hear this was helpful for you, Jordan! Best of luck and please keep me posted on your progress 🙂
Hi Melyssa- just wanted to say thank you thank you thank you for such an enormously helpful post!! This answered so many questions I had and yay- all in one place. 🙂 It can be so challenging to navigate through all of these topics and you really lay it out and explain it well. I certainly appreciate it! Look forward to putting these tips to use. (Guess I can’t give up on Twitter after all) lol
Jules
http://SavoringSaturdays.com
Wow, thank you so much for the kind words! I’m so glad this was helpful for you, Julie! Best of luck and please let me know if you need help with anything 🙂
Melyssa thank you so much for this post. You definitely gave me a lot to consider and some motivation. I’m really working on growing my blog and one area I really struggle with is my consistency. Plus I know I need to be more proactive on Twitter, I’m much more active on IG. Thank you again for an informative post!
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed this post, April! Best of luck with everything and please keep me posted on your progress 🙂
Melyssa, I am about to launch a blog and was reading this post and discovered that the “Envye” link is broken. You may want to fix it 🙂
P.S. Love what you stand for.
Nick Rigali
Thanks so much for the heads up, Nick! I’ll get that fixed ASAP!
Thanks Melyssa Griffin! You’re the first blog I’ve ever commented on! :)) Thanks for your tips! Keep killing it!
Wow, what an honor! Thanks for reading and please keep me posted on your progress 🙂
Melyssa,
Thank you so much for this post. Your blog is the sweetest reminder that success can come when you’re generous with what you know and genuine about wanting to see others do well. Figuring out the best way to grow my audience and market my blog has been the biggest question mark and I’ve definitely been in denial about the important of Twitter. This is great motivation to really go and figure it out. Thanks again!
Thanks so much for the kind words, Abby! Best of luck to you and let me know if you need help with anything at all 🙂
I didnt expect you gave me a new tips on how to grow my blog. Thanks for sharing, keep posting like this because this will help more bloggers. Out there..
http://www.infiniteblogger.com
You had me at hustler. And your wittiness.
Also a self proclaimed workhorse, I was searching for ways to (greatly) expand my blog presence. It’s only 3 days old, and how very fortunate I am to have found your site this early on!
From your newest subscriber, thank you so much.
Keep hustling, no ragrets! 😉
My best,
Jules
http://www.ciaocalzo.com/
Yay! I’m so glad you found me, Jules! Best of luck to you and please keep me posted on your progress. 🙂
I just love your posts Melyssa! 🙂 You were one of the first bloggers that I came across in my months of research, before I decided to create my own blog. You have been, and continue to be one of the most inspiring people in the blogging world for me! I can’t wait to launch my blog so I can start implementing some of your tips and tricks.
http://www.thebeautifiedlife.com
AH! You totally made my day! Thanks so much for the kind words, Alee! Let me know if you need any help along the way. 🙂
Thank you for these Melyssa! I’ve definitely ramped up my SEO game, but it’s hard not to get overwhelmed with everything that could be done with SEO! What are some of the most important, actionable SEO tips you’ve used? I’m so overwhelmed!
Thanks,
Lauren
http://www.bohemianbythebay.com
Hey Lauren! I’d say focus on creating high quality, keyword rich content. Not only will this help boost you SEO with search engines, but you can also use this as evidence of your high quality content when pitching for guest posts/podcasts/features/etc. These collaborations will get you backlinks and backlinks are super powerful SEO juice!
Hi Melyssa! Your blog is so well written and your content is thorough and very helpful! Truly inspiring! I just started fairly recently and I must say that your blog is really something to look up to.
#bloggoals
Ais
http://swearbymysweats.com
Thanks so much for your kind words, Ais! This totally made my day. 🙂
I am so lazy when it comes to SEO! I know that I should implement it, but… grrr I am trying to find some good will to do it.
You’ve got this! The nice thing is it’s a lot of upfront work but then you can cruise on maintenance. Good luck! 🙂
I’m gonna start doing it! ( While my blog is still small! ). Wow, so nice to get a response from such an authority!
~feeling humbled~
Hi Melyss,
Thanks for sharing these helpful tips. My name is Pinar Juliette and i have started to run a Youtube channel in English, French and Turkish. I create videos about life style, sport activities, travel, fashion and makeup. However i am not really sure if i should to continue run my channel in 3 languages. I would like to know what you think about. I leave my channel link below and if you could take a peek at and let me know your thoughts about i’ll really appreciate . Kindly note that it’s an innocent question my aim is not to force you to check my channel. Thanks in advance.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4AKO41KZD8dtzmnOAR_ug/playlists
Hi Pinar! First of all, I think that’s amazing that you speak 3 languages. I would recommend you focus on just one language and choose either the one you’re strongest in or the one that most of your audience speaks. Just like one needs to focus in on their niche, I think it’s equally important to speak to the right audience. Good luck!
Melyssa, thanks for this wonderful article. Just started my blog site sharpgang.com and I will be using your advice.
Yay! I’m so glad this was helpful for you, Bolu. 🙂
Hey thanks for sharing these nuggets of wisdom. If you could pick just two of these tips that folks should definitely not neglect, which ones would they be? I personally think creating good content and consistently doing so are the absolute musts that are in every blogger’s best interest to follow.
Good question! I’d say being consistent is THE MOST important tip by far. After that, I would have to say is design. When I go to a website and it doesn’t have a good design, I don’t stick around for very long. The content might be amazing but if it doesn’t look credible, many people won’t give it the time of day.
Good luck to you! 🙂
Cool… thanks. And good luck to you too!
Thank you for the great post, Melissa! The tips are good, but some of us (me) 🙂 are having trouble with the “fear” factor. I don’t have a twitter account and it seems to me that people can be pretty harsh.
Even though i started a blog, not sure that I will continue.
Oh, by the way…I sat in on a Teachable webinar and signed up for an account (that is still empty), but thank you for sharing in the webinar.
You have become quite the success.
Best to you
The online haters can definitely be daunting but don’t let them stop you from achieving your goals! Here’s a post I wrote up a little while back that may help you overcome your fear:
https://melyssagriffin.com/shake-off-online-haters/
Thanks Melyssa! It is interesting to know how much community means to blogging. I was making a lot of mistakes and this post is an eye opener to me.
Though I was doing the SEO right in http://www.simpleindianmom.in, I have not been as engaging to make people want to return to my blog for resource.
Social media too was a no-no to me for long!
I think you can understand how pathetically wrong I was when it came to blogging!
I am revamping..hoping to get hold of the right chords from today!
I’m so glad this was helpful for you, Menaka! Best of luck and please keep me posted on your progress. 🙂
I have been blogging for awhile at http://www.charmcityedibles.com and really struggle with the backend of things. The couple times I have hired web people they have not helped at all, and I have had to go back and undo their work (or re-design). I think I am at a place where my site looks fine, but driving traffic to it is still a major issue. It’s frustrating, especially when I see other sites that are really terrible (good ideas but cluttered and with major typos/grammatical issues) with thousands of daily visitors.
I know there is work to be done on my end, but it is hard to know where to start. What’s your take on Pinterest as a way to drive traffic?
Traffic is a major pain point for a lot of bloggers but luckily there are lots of ways to grow it and Pinterest is my favorite! Have you signed up for one of my webinars about how to use Pinterest to grow your traffic? If not, you can do so right here: http://www.workshopsbymel.com/pinterest-webinar/
Hope to see you there! 🙂
Hi, thank you for sharing all those great tips. I am seventeen years old and have been blogging for almost a year over on my blog now. I absolutely love blogging and dream of doing it for a living one day but that is still far away. I sometimes struggle with answering to comments on my blog. I never know what to say so I usually end up saying thank you or something similiar but I will work on that from now on. I am also going to start naming the pictures on my blog from now on.
Lots of Love
Just A Blank Space
https://blogfilledwiththoughts.wordpress.com/
That’s awesome that you’ve started your online business journey at such a young age! Best of luck to you and please keep me posted on your progress. 🙂
I will. I just signed up for your free resoureces and spent a lot of time reading. They are amazing help. Thank you
I’ve started my blog not too long ago. I’ve been promoting my blog on social media: Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook. However, Quora seems to be a great source of all my traffic. Do give it a try.
Sincerely helpful,
http://livingafreelifetoday.com
Living Free
Thanks for the tip! Best of luck growing your blog. 😀
I like this: Get your Butt on Twitter! You are so right on. Lately, I just haven’t been paying enough attention to Twitter. I keep worrying about it going away. Also, I have been heavily focused on Instagram. Twitter is my first love though, so thank you for this reminder.
You inspired me to create a spreadsheet to start tracking some of this. I love blogs and spend my days working on WordPress but the growth part as you wrote about here still eludes me. Thank you much for this.
Woohoo! I love how you’ve set goals so quickly for yourself, Renee! Best of luck and please keep me posted on your progress. 😀
Hi Melyssa,
Thank you so much for these tips. I have had my blog for a few months now and I am really trying to grow it organically. I don’t want to spam my family and friend on Facebook and other social media to “check out my blog!”. So far I’ve really only used Pinterest as a form of self promotion and just yesterday I signed up for BlogLovin’.
I found your advice really helpful with some new tips I hadn’t come across from numerous searches of how to improve site traffic. I actually really love reading things that I am either doing wrong or could improve upon because it means that there is room for potential growth.
I also recently started to use Yoast SEO and find it helpful. I loved your tip about titles of pictures and meta description. The meta description kept getting highlighted as an issue by Yoast, but embarrassingly I had no idea what it meant. Your post inspired me to further understand Yoast and figure out how to edit the meta data.
You mentioned that when you first started Twitter you had 14 or so followers. Do you think it deters people to follow someone with little to no followers? Like I said above, I’m really trying not to spam my family and friends, but I also don’t want to look like a creep on social media with no followers. If ya know what I’m saying’.
Thanks again for your article, I always love reading things from a strong female narrative, so keep up the good work!
-Mindy
http://www.thehappyword.com/
Hey Mindy! Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment. I’m glad this post inspired you to dig deeper into Yoast and SEO in general as it’s a very important part of an online business.
In regards to your question about Twitter followers, you have to start somewhere so don’t worry about whether your “numbers” deters people or not. Work with what ya got and it will all grow as long as you continue to provide value to people in a genuine way. 🙂
Good luck and please keep me posted on your progress!
Thanks for the tips. Reading from Malaysia. <3
You’re most welcome, Ana! Best of luck to you. 😀
I found these tips to be incrediably helpful. Thank you for sharing your wisdom & insight. I just started my blog http://www.NearlyNOLAweds.com about a week ago. I’m hoping to grow my following organically and your blog has helped steer me in the right direction. Thank you for being so willing to share your wisdom!
That’s awesome, Eryka! Best of luck with your new blog and please keep me posted on your progress. 😀
Will do! ☺
Thank you so much for these tips. I’m a very new blogger so it was great to hear from someone far more experienced.
I’m so glad this post was helpful for you. Good luck! 😀
Hi Melissa, about SEO that you mentioned above…I use Squarespace instead of WordPress and each Squarespace site is supposedly already optimized for search engines. Do you know much about Squarespace SEO? Should I be worried?
Hi Shelbi! I’m not very familiar with Squarespace and their SEO capabilities but either way you will need to optimize your posts further with things like keywords, header text, etc.
I would definitely recommend doing a Google search for how best to optimize your website and posts for Squarespace. 🙂
I’m a new blogger and this was very helpful. I’ve been having difficulty finding the value in using twitter but will follow your suggestions, thank you.
https://buzzspeech.com
Awesome! Best of luck to you. 🙂
Great tips, this is definitely helpful….I just need to be not lazy haha…thanks!!
You’ve got this, Kashmi! Keep up the great work! 🙂
Awesome tips, thanks for the article! It’s pretty overwhelming to start a new blog, but I think we’re slowly getting the hang of it!
Would love for you to check it out: http://www.hangoversandlayovers.com
I’m so glad this was helpful for you, Danielle. Best of luck to you! 😀
Okay this was seriously the most helpful blog post I have found yet! And I’m not kidding when I say literally clicked on like all of your internal links haha. I’m now about to be reading all night… Thank you so much for this! My husband and I are starting out our blog and we’ve been looking for some good advice and haven’t really found anything new until this post.
This sounds great Kelsey! I started a Blog with my spouse back in 2015 and it is to this day one of the most exciting projects we ever had. It’s great for a relationship to start a big project and business together. You will be amazed how much more is possible as a team than on your own. Excited to see what you come up with!
That’s so amazing to hear, Jascha! Best of luck to you and your spouse on your collaborative blogging journey. 🙂
thank you so much!! I honestly had no clue the blogging community was this supportive… I’m so stoked to meet other bloggers but I don’t really know how to go about making friends and connections without being overly abrupt haha
Yay! I’m so glad this was helpful for you, Kelsey! Sending you and your hubby positive vibes and please do keep me posted on your progress. 😀
Ahh thank you!! <3
I am so happy I ran across your page! So many good things I am excited to try. Thank you.
I’m so happy you found my website! Best of luck to you and please keep me posted on your progress, Lindsey. 🙂
Melyssa,
I absolutely loved this entire post. I am just starting out blogging and this post, as well as your one about how to work with brands & grow your instagram, really have helped me with some tips I hadnt though of before!
Youre awesome!!
Nicole
http://www.withlovenikki.com
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that the posts have been helpful for you, Nicole! Best of luck to you. 🙂
This is a really helpful post! I just started and I’m like you. I still don’t get Twitter hahaha I try to post something and then I think… That’s really stupid and end deleting it. So i guess I have to learn how to do it…
xx Melissa,
https://elephantontheroad.com
Thanks for sharing, Melissa! Best of luck with learning Twitter and please keep me posted on your progress. 🙂
thank you! I needed this, I am a new blogger and I’m kinda don’t know where I’m going right now!
http://www.tourinstylebyrizelle.com
I’m glad this was helpful for you. Good luck, Rizelle! 🙂
Thanks for the tips!! I am newbie to blogging and this was very helpful. So many things that I found applicable, and need to start working on. I have always thought twitter was weird, but now I am considering it.
EmbraceTheKids.com
That’s great to hear! Best of luck to the both of you and please keep me posted on your progress. 🙂
Hey! This is Amazing. I mean really really amazing. I never really found someone explaining such things so much easily and especially that twitter thing you mentioned about. Actually I am into this world of blogging since 8 months now, but not able to make so good out of it, well you can say it is because of my carelessness. But now, I am trying hard to make best out of my blog! Anyway, thanks for this post. I just loved this! Thanks a lot!
Though, I won’t mind if you for once check my blog and leave some feedback for same. You know, just for the sake of motivation! 🙂
Here’s the link – http://standuptri.com/ to my blog. Lots of love 🙂
I’m so glad this was helpful for you, Shifali! Best of luck to you and please keep me posted on your progress. 🙂
Hi Melyssa and thank you for sharing all this with us! I’ve just started my online adventure, still have lots to improve and do but have been following you since some time and I really hope my blog will take off soon! I know it is a long way to the top if you wanna rock&roll* 😉 Have a great day! Chiara
++++++
http://www.mywandercoffee.com
Best of luck to you, Chiara! Please do keep me posted on your progress. 🙂
Hey! I am so glad and grateful that I landed here! Thank you so much for the tips and knowledge… I am launching my blog on 1st May 2017, and I bam surely doing the things you mentioned!
Loads of love!
Mmmuah!
I’m so glad you stumbled upon here too, Sayali. Best of luck to you and please keep me posted on your progress. 🙂
Thanks for this insight. I am just starting my blog and is extremely helpful!
That’s great to hear, Kiana! Good luck to you. 🙂
Hello Mellyssa ,
Your blog surely offers great ideas to promote & grow BLOG as i am also interested in promoting my own blogs, Your idea of staying updated on social platforms surely works
Thanks for your valuable idea and apprehension 🙂 Right now i am working on following Blog :https://appsdiscover.com/blog/
These tips are the bomb. I agree with twitter… I don’t understand or know how to use it. SO I am really going to kick that up a notch! I purchased a theme and tried to do everything myself but I am thinking about hiring a website developer? Is that a good decision!? Thanks for all the helpful tips!
Hey Kelly! Yes, if you have the means to outsource work to people who are experts, it saves you TONS of time and you also get a high quality product that you probably wouldn’t have been able to create without a lot of time and money spent. But do use this saved time to do what you do best and create content that only can create. Good luck! 🙂
Thank you for the tips Melyssa. They are all very useful. It is hard to know how to drive traffic to a blog without being spammy. Your article adresses exactly how to do that. Thank you. I will try our advice out on my own blog, discoveringdelmarva.com, which is about all things families can enjoy when they visit the beaches in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Great advice. Thank you!
I’m so glad this post was helpful for you, Sharon! Best of luck to you and please keep me posted on your progress. 🙂
These are all great tips! I just recently started my blog a little over a month ago. I’ve been on twitter for about 3 weeks now and I’m slowly gaining my followers!
I’ve been working like crazy to keep my SEO up to date but still waiting to see.. well.. anything from it. Hopefully it updates soon and I start seeing traffic coming in from it.
Thanks a ton!
Chris @ Heyyouredblue.com
My fingers are crossed for you, Chris! Best of luck with everything and please keep me posted on your progress. 🙂
Thanks a ton! Hoping to gain enough followers to “entice” a brand or two to help fund this little venture. Good luck to you as well and may you always be this successful and more so!
This was super helpful! They all seem like common sense (build relationships, engage etc) but are easily forgotten in the trying to just write and make it good.
I’ll definitely be using these tips. Thanks so much! Ivy @ latinaveganblog.wordpress.com
That’s awesome to hear, Ivy! Wishing you the best of luck! 😀
Hey! This was a very useful!! I am very new to blogging http://www.adenimwall.com , And the information you provided somehow gave me the right direction for my blogs ! Thank you 🙂
I’m so glad to hear it, Vaishale! Best of luck to you and please keep me posted on your progress. 🙂
These are fantastic tips. I have started a blog and LOVE it. I have dreams of building a community to support and empower people (that’s right I dream big 😉 but I am struggling to be noticed.
I think part of my issue is finding my voice and providing a clear about me section. How do you define a person and a dream?! Haha 🙂
This list will be my go to, thanks. I knew I subscribed to you for almost a year before hitting publish for a reason!
*shameless self promotion alert*
http://Www.bigtinysteps.com
I’m so glad this post was helpful for you, Mandi! Best of luck to you and please keep me posted on your progress. 🙂
Really nice advice. So, you are also trying to say that we should pick any one platform and become a master of it instead of trying so many different platforms and getting lost. Don’t be a jack of all trades and master of none.
What advice would you give someone who has just started?
Hi Varun! Yes, you’ll definitely want to focus in and not spread yourself too thin. The tips from this post would definitely apply to someone who has just started as well. Good luck! 🙂
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OMG! Valuable information in just one post. I’m starting a food blog and sometimes is so overwhelming the amount of things that I need to do to grow my little project!
Thanks a lot Melyssa, Have a nice day!
So happy to hear this helped you, Betania! 🙂 It can be overwhelming at first. I recommend setting small goals that’ll allow for quick wins and slow and steady progress! Good luck with your food blog 😀
How wonderful!!! Thank you for all of the advice! I can’t wait to keep exploring your site 🙂
Hi there, Delia! You’re so welcome 🙂 There is a lot of great content here that will help you grow your blog! Here are some more blogging tips: https://melyssagriffin.com/topics/blogging
Hei, so informative! Thanks for advices and so good information.
Started my own blog last week, everything especially promoting looks so difficult.
http://www.risilvjaplace.com
Congratulations on launching your new blog, Silvija! 🙂 It can take awhile for a blog to gain traction. Just continue writing, focus on what you’re passionate about, and make sure to come up with a distribution plan after you publish each post. You may find this article helpful: https://melyssagriffin.com/17-things-you-should-do-to-every-blog-post-before-after-you-hit-publish/
Hi Melissa, thanks so much for this post. I am a new blogger and your information was one of the earlier that I came across when I was researching. I like the way you write out your posts plain and simple. I am a “get to the point” type of person and your posts always do that, so thank you! I am already taking your advice and commenting on my favorite bloggers sites!
Wow, thank you Gwendolyn for the kind words and feedback! 🙂
Hey Melissa – great post! I am a new blogger and feel a little uninspired after posting and receiving little to no feedback or followers. I am passionate about creating content, being creative, and providing useful information, but it seems as though I am stuck in a rut right now.
Either way, great post. It was very helpful! My blog is http://www.auroragraceco.com in case anyone would like to check it out and give me some feedback 🙂
Thank you for your kind comment, Aurora! If you’re new, the growth process can be very slow initially. I recommend commenting on other blogs and making this a regular habit, and joining some free Facebook groups to connect with others. There are often weekly threads that allow you to share your latest post. I also am super passionate about Pinterest, and Pinterest is the one platform that brought my website’s traffic to another level. I recommend distributing your content there if you haven’t already 🙂 Hang in there and keep going!
Thank you so much for the advice! I never really thought about using Pinterest to gain followers on my blog. I read your post about reformatting Pinterest pictures to become more appealing as well.
Thanks again for the response! Love your website!
This was so helpful- thank you!
So happy to hear that, Sacia 🙂 Thank you for reading!
You responded! You’re so helpful!
This was a very helpful post! I am a relatively new blogger. I am mainly using my blog as an outlet for my photography, which I am very passionate about. When I first started my blog I gained a lot of traction and it grew pretty fast, however, it seems that everything is staying pretty stagnant. Do you have any advice on how to get everything jump started again? My blog is http://www.runawaywithlee.com if anyone would like to give me some feedback! Thank you so much 🙂
Hi Lisa! 🙂 Blogging definitely requires a lot of dedication and patience. Are you in any Facebook groups for bloggers? There are many communities out there for bloggers to support one another. I also recommend networking offline with other bloggers, and connecting on other social media platforms. Pinterest is an amazing tool for distributing your posts, especially if your pin gets picked up and goes “viral” 🙂 I hope this helps!
Thank you so much for the advice! I really appreciate it 🙂 I never thought about using Pinterest before, but I will definitely give it a shot!
What would your views on using a platform like Soapbox be? They allow bloggers to sign up for free and repost their articles and backlinks. http://www.sp-bx.com
I write for them and want to get your opinion.
I just decided to start back up with blogging and I am hoping to really grow my blog into something!! This was the first post I clicked on when looking for tips, and it did not disappoint!!! Thank you for this; it was SO helpful!! And you are my first new blog to keep up with!! My blog is youngandthoughtful.weebly.com and I would love if you or anyone could check it out and give me some feedback! Thanks!!
Yay! Congratulations on launching your blog, Ilana! 🙂 I have several more blogging resources on my site that you can dig into. Appreciate you being here and glad you found me.
gws daily deals site is one of my favorite site. I have purchased lots of thing. And continue purchase.
Hi Melyssa! You have no idea how many times I have read this article and how helpful it is for me and my girlfriend. We recently started a blog: theangelinos.com and we refer to your tips and tricks as we go along. Thank you so much for putting so much passion into your articles. We can tell you genuinely like helping others succeed.
This means so much to me! I appreciate you and look forward to seeing you succeed with your blog! 🙂
I always like my electronic gadget shopping, online, because of the most attractive discounts I’m offering. Gws daily deals have done exactly the same thing I got a big cash back + discount combo on my last mobile phone purchase.
Amazing advice as always Melyssa, I’m looking to grow my blog and am still finding my feet and making my mistakes but I’m learning! Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Sarah! Thank you for your comment and I look forward to hearing more about your journey. Feel free to join us over in my Blog to Biz Bootcamp, it’s free and there are some awesome videos that come with it! http://www.blogtobiztraining.com 🙂
Hi Melissa, I only recently switched to Blogging full-time, and I have found tonnes of useful resources here – which I look forward to applying to my blog and social media pages over the coming weeks and months. What I appreciate most about your writing, is your willingness to take us through your journey from inception to where you are now. That for me has be very reassuring, as I can better relate to your challenges in the beginning, with my eyes set on getting things right incrementally. Please advise on any linkups, seminars or workshops in the New York area. I’m at http://www.jamalbrowne.com. Thanks a million once again!
Hi Jamal, I am so glad to hear my articles and resources have helped you along on your blogging journey! 🙂 It wasn’t an overnight success, for sure. I visit NYC a couple times a year, I’ll let you know when I plan an event there!
Hello Melissa, thank you so much for your feedback. I have no doubt that it took you some time and effort to put all the pieces together. I am learning new things everyday in the wonderful world of blogging, and it’s quite comforting to know that your platform offers some incredibly useful insights of improving the process. Thanks again, and all the best! I look forward to your future events here in NYC. Cheers!
So appreciate your kind words, Jamal 🙂 and I look forward to hearing more about your journey!
I very much find that number 5 is a very much underrated, and underspoken about part of blogging – but so important! Just beginning to get my head around it 🙂
Yes, super important, but definitely takes time to develop and hone 🙂 Thanks for sharing your feedback, Emily.
This is great info! I think I have my search engine consoul set up incorrectly because it hasn’t pulled anything and I really thought that tool would shine some SEO light. I had no idea changing the photo title that I upload would have any effect on SEO!
xo Jen from http://www.styleinshape.com
Absolutely, Jen! There are so many little tweaks that can dramatically improve SEO 🙂
Hi Melyssa, Thank you for the great tips again. I have use these tips to grow my personal finance blog http://www.freedomsearcher.com where I share money management tips and you can follow my path to financial freedom. I have found out also that so called “answer sites” works quite well at least what comes to finance blog referral traffic. Regards, Matt
Yes, participating actively on those sites can be amazing for building traffic to your blog. Thanks for the great tip, Matt! 🙂
Hi Melyssa that k you so much for the great advices, I just started a personal lifestyle blog, http://www.myowntotell.com and your post came up when I was researching how to grow my blog. I am not very big on social media and I totally feel the same way you felt about Twitter but k guess I have to get up and “socialize” now. Very helpful.
Haha, I hear you Denise! 🙂 Best of luck in growing your blog. Social media is a great place to start to re-distribute and promote your content. I recycle mine using a tool called MeetEdgar. There is also another, more affordable option called SmarterQueue.
I am so happy that I stumbled upon your website. I have a blog that I, sadly, don’t post on near as much as I should or would like to. I feel like I don’t have enough relatable content *long sigh*. I need to give myself more credit…I have been published in a magazine! I really appreciate your tips and can’t wait to read more! Thank you!
this is so helpful! Definitely going to use more twitter now!
Hi Melyssa,
Thank you so much for all the great tips. I recently started a lifestyle blog http://thegirlabroad.com/ and was searching for ways to increase traffic. Your post was really helpful. I wasn’t very active on twitter until now. I think I’ll have to learn and use twitter more frequently. Once again thank you for all the tips.
Thank you so much for sharing, Tessa! 🙂 Congratulations on starting your new blog. Twitter has become less prevalent now than it used to be (since the publishing of this post). I think the most important thing is to be where your audience is, and focus on those 1-2 platforms that drive the most results for you 🙂
Awesome tips will start commenting on other blogs.
You’re very welcome! 🙂
Thanks again. just tracked this back with Disqus. Also an awesome tool to help grow my blog. i also started using Quora. But many people link back on that. Reddit confuses the hell out of me.
Great tips! Commenting on blogs has definitely increased my blog traffic.
Love hearing that 🙂 Thank you for commenting.
Great tips! Definitely gonna try some of these out.
Awesome, Rebecca! 🙂 Keep me posted on how it goes.
Thanks so much for these tips! I just started my blog and have trouble with being consistent as I’m in school and have a part time job. I love blogging so much tho so I’m definitely driven to keep it up! This post makes me want to step up my twitter game, I’ve really thought only instagram matters.
http://www.shanneileen.com
So excited to hear this, Shannon! Since this article was posted, I have noticed a decline in the level of engagement I get on Twitter (I think many bloggers are leveraging Instagram and Pinterest now), but the best advice I can offer is to focus on the platforms that your audience spends the most time on 🙂
Hi Melyssa!
Just found your blog! Thank you for this post. I’m looking forward to using some of your tips, and I signed up to your email list. I just recently started a blog (www.texasblessed.net) so I have a lot to learn!
Thanks again, Melyssa!
-Hannah Doucette
Woo hoo, thank you for joining my email list, Hannah! 🙂 And congratulations on the launch of your new blog. I hope the resources here will be a big help to you as you grow 🙂
Thank you for these helpful tips! I can’t wait to try them out! Please check out my blog at poisedwitjaz.com 🙂
Good stuff here! Thank you! I’ve found myself getting lazy with social media. I needed these great reminders. I love writing, but unless I make time to develop connections, no one will ever see what I write. I am passionate about my message, but after reading your post, I realize I am not as passionate about my readers. Thank you!
Such an important takeaway you got from this post, Marianna 🙂 Utilize your audience to help you develop new content. Write on their pain points, and poll them occasionally, to see what they might like to hear from you 🙂
Love this tips, really helpful especially for me as a newbie.
Thank you 🙂
Yay, so happy this post helped you, Didy! 🙂
This is a really great post! Clear ideas. I’ve just recently started my own blog, and I feel I have so much to learn still! Getting on twitter is a great idea. Going to do that now! Thanks for the great read 🙂
Thanks for reading, Becks. 🙂 Twitter has changed a lot since the time I originally published this post, so it may not be as relevant for your audience, but it’s a good place to be if you have an automation structure in place (a tool that can recycle your content so it’s running on auto-pilot).
Awesome post having helpful tips & ideas. I started a blog and I really realized that commenting on other blogs really increases traffic/audience. I’d like to thank you for sharing this helpful post with blogger community.
Absolutely, it’s my pleasure, Arif! 🙂
I really love this post! It’s so helpful and gets me so motivated on starting to work on my blog. I love blogging and talking about fashion and stuff, but I love even more that there is SO MUCH TO LEARN. I’ve never learned anything about marketing, writing, … and now there is this whole community that gives me such knowledge. Thank you so much for this!
I’m loving the excitement, Kelly! Thanks so much for the love and best of luck to you! 🙂
Wow. Thanks so much for these tips.
I have stumbled on the right notes..,:)
Thanks Melyssa
Absolutely, Victor. 🙂 I appreciate you reading this post!
Great tips. I’ve been blogging as a hobby for years, but now I want to turn it into a career, so your tips were very helpful. I took a lot of notes
So exciting to hear that, Audrey. 🙂 Good luck!
Thanks for sharing your tips. Your success speaks for itself. And, no, I’m not just doing this because you suggested it. ????????????
That means a lot and I’m humbled by your comment. Thank you for reading! 🙂
i have a blogger account but my blogs didn’t get views
Hey there Masum. It takes a lot of work and strategy to grow a successful blog. Keep trying and implementing the strategies I teach here on my site. Good luck. 🙂
Hi Melyssa!
Thank you for some good pointers in the right direction. I would love to have a successful blog, but at the moment I think it’s so important to love what I am doing, and that is taking lots of photos! I will take on making blogger mates, and use twitter more definitely.
Thank you!
Laura xx
http://www.moremaud.com
Hi Laura, I wonder if you could combine your love of taking photos with a blog, and then expanding that to visual platforms like Instagram. I wrote this post awhile ago, and I find that Twitter isn’t as valuable as it used to be, at least I don’t spend as much time there as I used to. 🙂 It’s important to focus on the 1-2 platforms that you love, that you get the most out of. Good luck!
This is such a helpful post Melyssa! I also loved the one about finding your writing voice. Thank you for the great info!