Everything But the Posts

Tips, Advice, and Templates from a Blogger Who Has Been in Your Shoes

Blogging 101

This site contains affiliate links. Please see Policies for more information.

Blogging 101

 

This week, I thought I would wrap up a few blogging tips I have learned… from tutorials, from helping friends, from playing with my own blog, and a few from bloggy boot camp, as well!

Hopefully there is something here for everyone:

Blog tip #1:

Typing <center> before and after the code in a widget will center it in your sidebar.

Blog tip #2:

You can make blog buttons (and Twitter backgrounds, and headers…) with PicMonkey! I learned how to by following this tutorial from Linda Sellers.

Blog tip #3:

Use Google Analytics to track how many people visit your site and learn how they get there.

Blog tip #4:

I find a lot of helpful tips from these blogs:

Blog Clarity

Amy Lynn Andrews

ProBlogger

Go ahead… add them to your reader… I’ll wait…

Oh, you don’t know what a reader is? Sorry…

Blog tip #5:

Using a blog reader (such as Bloglovin’) helps to get all of  your blogs organized in one place, and makes it easier to read them. A must for anyone reading more than 5 blogs.

Blog tip #6:

Get a gravatar. They make it easier to recognize you when you leave a comment.

Blog tip #7:

If you have WordPress, you should check out these plugins:

Social Warfare

Askimet

Vaultpress back up

Broken Link Checker

Blog tip #8:

Rename your photos. Google likes “homemade chocolate brownie recipe” better than DSC00056 or “brownierecipe-1”

Let me know if any of this doesn’t make sense… I’d be glad to answer any questions that I can!

Save

Comments

  2. Excellent tips, Becca! I didn’t know about readers for a long time, but then I felt silly after I finally learned what it was all about. It’s super easy to get started (and such a time-saver!).
    .-= Stephanie´s last blog ..My baby is such a “GOOD” sleeper =-.

    • But Gramma Teetsie – I think you need to start your own blog. Becca could design it for you, and we all get the pleasure of knowing just how funny you really are!
      .-= Michelle´s last blog ..Not Me Monday – Photoshoot edition =-.

  6. These are great, even though I don’t understand a few. I’ll be asking! Your help last week was GREAT-thanks! Also, Chels showed me the reader and I’ve really just starting using it this week…VERY easy and time saving too-get to the ones you really want to see. I have many money saving blogs I look at and they overcrowd the others.

  7. I’m starting to think I need to make the switch to wordpress… and I really need to stop saying that because I’m such a procrastinator! I just started using my google reader like, a week ago! I’ve been using my dashboard to read my blogs. I’m going to have to check out those sites you mentioned. Thanks for the tips!
    .-= Michelle´s last blog ..Not Me Monday – Photoshoot edition =-.

  8. You have been SUCH a lifesaver through this whole learning to blog thing… thanks for putting all these tips in one place!
    .-= Chelsea´s last blog ..Mad Hippie Review! =-.

  10. My favorite Google Reader tip is the NEXT button. It takes you to the blog so you get to see all the cool pages (we work so hard getting pages set up like we like them), and it counts as a hit to their page (in case they’re trying to get lots of readers) It’s under the Preferences in the reader. You just drag it to the address bar and away you go! I LOVE IT!

    Thanks for your tips! I just recently found your site, so I’ll have to go looking for your other blog tips. :)
    .-= Amanda´s last blog ..My Personal Trainer =-.

  12. those are great tips – especially about making a button! i can’t wait to come back tomorrow- at a ahem decent hour – to learn how. thanks so much
    .-= jenn´s last blog ..lessons learned #2 =-.

  13. Soo many Great tips! Thank you much for sharing. Going to add Sexy Bookmarks plugin for sure.

Trackbacks