Blogging is a way to express creative energy.
French Essence is my internet home and my presence on the world wide web; it is where I talk about many things French and some things not so French. If I imagine that my site is like my house then naturally it is a reflection of me, my taste and the things that interest me. I think this is the most important factor when starting a blog - make sure your blog is a mirror image of you, your personality and the message that you wish to spread.
*Create a format that you are comfortable with and that you and others can navigate easily
*Make sure that the fonts and the colours are user friendly (as much as I adored my old black background I had to admit defeat and change to a neutral colour)
*Design your blog in the way that appeals to you and expresses your message
*Add interest with relevant gadgets and photographs
*Provide links to your other content that might remain of interest for your readers
*Make sure your site loads quickly - beware of too much content in any one post that could slow down your loading time
*Advertising is essential for many blogs but it must not overpower the writer's content
*Most importantly, make it a place that you enjoy spending time because many hours go into creating a successful blog
Blogging is about connection.
French Essence has enabled me to connect with like-minded souls all over the world and for that I am so grateful. I feel as if I have made good friends with so many people although our paths may never physically cross. Blogging is so much more than what we say on our own blog; blogging for me is more about what I learn from others.
*Search for blogs that have similar interests to yours
*Take time to read other blogs
*Comment on posts because you mean it and you want to contribute to the discussion
*Comment because you want to say hello not because you want to attract traffic. Traffic will automatically come to your blog if you leave comments but the idea is to engage your readers and encourage them to visit often
*Comment when you can - it is not always possible to respond all the time. Blogging should not be a pressure and I believe that the blogging community understands that.
* Make it easy for readers to comment on your blog - remove comment moderation
Blogging means having a purpose.
French Essence started because I wrote a book about moving to France. I am an accidental writer and because of that I am a blogger. Now I could not imagine my life without the blog and even though it is a great way to gain profile for my books, it has become so much more than that.
*Know why you are blogging
*Blogging takes time. Be prepared to commit
*Choose your topic - it doesn't matter what it is - be passionate about it
*Link to like-mined blogs on your sidebar
*Visit similar sites and let other bloggers know you are out there
Blogging means sharing.
Guest posting is a great way to raise profile and be introduced to different readers.
*Write as much for other blogs as you can when starting out
*Link your blog into group events
*Invite others to participate on your blog if that is appropriate
Blogging means posting.
French Essence posts fairly regularly, although I do try and mix it up a little from time to time. I might run a series of photos every day for a week or I might only post twice in one week if the content is long.
* If you want your blog to grow you must post regularly
*Don't disappear without reason - readers become attached
*Post a mixture of content - photographs and words
*Post varying lengths of content to keep it interesting. Try and keep your readers attention - if the post is too long (like mine today) concentration spans are stretched.
*Be original
Blogs are read in various formats.
Readers can 'follow' your blog or they may prefer to subscribe and read by email. French Essence has web followers and email subscribers so I try and be sympathetic to both. If I post too many images in one post then that is often harder for the email subscribers to deal with although my blog site would be enhanced.
*Posting is about balance
*Subscribers and Followers come and go - don't be despondent if they take time to build or they drop off - numbers are not why we blog
*Use analytics to monitor your growth and understand what your readers enjoy
*Have your email subscription and followers gadgets readily accessible on your site
Blogging means keywords.
One way to attract traffic is to use significant and popular keywords. Do I do this? Not all the time, but I know I should.
*Post titles should be succinct and to the point
*Post titles should be catchy to attract attention
*Post titles should use keywords words that will be picked up by google and help direct traffic - for example France, French and Paris are excellent words for me to use in my titles.To grow your blog traffic needs to come from multiple sources not just other blogs
The most important thing to remember about blogging is to blog from the heart. If a blog is sincere, well thought out and of interest then it will naturally gain attention. Blogs are living, changing works - they have personalities and they have moods. They have ups and downs. Blogs gain momentum and loose momentum. Like the tide, they are in and they are out. Blogs are never static; constancy is not a word we can equate with blogging.
How does your blog grow? Shall we discuss?? xv
my daily click HERE
image via google
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