I get emails constantly from people asking me how they can build their blogs/get more followers/get more comments, etc.
I know I have a lot of followers and comments but I honestly have NO IDEA why! In fact I get red in the face just thinking about it. I feel like my blog is kind of like the show Seinfeld - a blog about nothing. ha! There is nothing out of the ordinary about my blog and I didn't try at all to get a lot of readers - it just happened and frankly - it blows my mind.
I'm hoping y'all can offer good tips in your posts today because I don't feel like I have much to share. I will give you my top 10 ways to have a good blog. They aren't foolproof - just my opinion (for what it's worth).
1. Don't blog to have a lot of followers/comments/readers. If this is your goal - it's never going to succeed. Blog for yourself and your family number one. Blog as if no one else is reading. Write what you love not what you think will draw a lot of people in.
2. Blog frequently but not too frequently. Blogging every day is great and brings people back. Blogging several times a day wears people out.
3. Post a lot of pictures. A ton of words and no pictures is too much for a lot of people. Pictures add so much!
4. Read other blogs and comment. DO NOT leave comments that say "please come read my blog". That's not the way to get people to your blog. Just leave interesting comments. That blogger and other readers may read that and follow it to your blog. Don't try to force it.
5. Join in on blog carnivals. That's a great way to find other blogs you might like or for people to find you.
6. Use social media. Twitter and Facebook are great ways to connect with people and to bring them back to your blog.
7. Don't do too many give aways. A few can be fun. I've noticed they don't drive traffic and it really just starts to annoy your readers if you are doing give aways all the time instead of just posting normal posts.
8. Be yourself. Don't try to be anyone else or make your life seem one way if it's not. Just be open and share from your heart. Be vulnerable to share what life or God is teaching you. You never know how it might affect someone reading it.
9. Offer to do guest posts on other blogs - it could be more exposure.
10. Don't get caught up in "stats". The number of page views or comments you get does NOT equal the value of your blog. Don't get frustrated if you don't have a lot of followers. It takes time. I had probably 2 comments on every post for 2-3 years and probably only about a couple hundred hits a day. If you don't blog for yourself and because you love it and want to have the memories on-line - then you probably shouldn't blog at all.
I've said this before and I mean it - I blog because I honestly wouldn't remember half the things my girls have said or done or their milestones if I didn't put it somewhere. This has been an AMAZING way for me to keep a record for our family. It forces me to think about taking pictures all the time too or I might not do that either. And the grandparents and other family members can watch our girls grow. I make time for it because it's a priority for me to keep those memories. I would do it whether I had 2 readers or 2000.
I've said this before and I mean it - I blog because I honestly wouldn't remember half the things my girls have said or done or their milestones if I didn't put it somewhere. This has been an AMAZING way for me to keep a record for our family. It forces me to think about taking pictures all the time too or I might not do that either. And the grandparents and other family members can watch our girls grow. I make time for it because it's a priority for me to keep those memories. I would do it whether I had 2 readers or 2000.
Above all - just have fun with it!!!
