Top Tips for a Beginning Blogger (such as myself)

I thought I'd highlight today some of the best lessons/advice I have learned to grow my blog quickly. Sometimes, I just lurked around on others' sites and did what they did, but other times, veteran bloggers gave great advice. This is beside the obvious advice: write well and from your heart, be yourself and have fun.

• Personalize your blog design. When I designed my own header, I really saw a big jump in the number of readers who came back. The design is a first impression, and it is so important. I found a great article on how to do it in Blogger. It is at Design Mom, written by guest blogger Amy

• Join some online Communities who are similar in interest to you. I joined TheMomBlogs, 5 MinutesForMom, Christian Women Online, CrazyHipMomBlogs, and Moms of Grace since mine is mainly considered a Christian Mom Blog. I know, I am such a joiner, but it helped me get started on some blogrolls and reach out to some readers.

• Make the most of comments. Ask questions to your readers to get the discussion going. Respond to your commentors, either in your comment section or by email. Comment on others' blogs very often! I almost always visit people who comment on Real Life, and I know others come to me through my comments.

• Technorati and Feedburner are a must for anyone who wants readers and subscribers. I say this because some of my blogging friends are content with just their family and friends reading, and that's OK. MamaBlogga has great article called 5 Steps to Getting Started with FeedBurner and another one called Seven Ways to Master FeedBurner and another called Five Ways to Win Links—and Technorati’s Heart. In fact, MamaBlogga is a must-read for a beginning blogger! I could spend hours on her site.
  

• Get a Feedreader and learn about RSS feeds. I absolutely love my Google Reader, and I'm so glad I took the time to learn about feeds and things. Ben at Ben's Soapbox has a good article on How RSS Works. Again, MamaBlogga has great advice on why you should offer full feeds to your readers.

Did I leave anything out? Oh, have a contest!! I had so much fun on my last one, that I'm sure I'll do it again soon. (Does anyone need any used baby toys?)

So, what else did I forget? Leave me a comment and a tip, if you'd like. I still have so much to learn, but I'm having a blast doing it!


Click to see the results of the Man of the Year Awards!

This post is included on ProBlogger.net in a list of his Reader's Blog Tips. There are lots of great tips in there!