My Top 5 Blogging Tips

Lately as I've done a little blog hopping, I noticed a few things about some blogs that appeal to me and I noticed a few things that didn't appeal to me. I've condensed my observations into five different tips which might improve your own blogging performance:

1. Be concise. Most people do not want to read a long, drawn-out story in a blog. Blog readers are mostly looking for concise information they can gather quickly.

2. Use good grammar. This may seem obvious, but you might be surprised at how many people do not edit their blog posts before publishing.

3. Set links open in a new tab. It personally frustrates me when I click on a link in a blog and it takes me off the current page.

4. Do not have music playing on your blog. I often have my own music going when I'm working on my computer, so random blog music annoys me. My response is generally to click off that blog immediately.

5. Use pictures. Pictures are a great way to break up paragraphs, give a visual which draws a reader in, and they give Pinterest something to publish!

This list is by no means comprehensive, but represents several things on my mind during a recent blog hop. I'm sure this list will continue to grow!

Happy Blogging!
~Tricia

Comments

My Top Five Editing Tips

In my e-book, Writing for Publication , I list my top five editing tips. If you have not read the book and you want to earn money writing, read the book today. It's available on Amazon, here , and on Fiverr, here . Editing is vital to writing success, but I do understand that not everyone can afford to hire an editor; some have to edit their own work. I never recommend this, but I know finances require it at times. Here are my top five editing tips: Get rid of "that" whenever you can Use both "very" and "really" in a very limited way. Really. Be careful of repetition. Don't repeat yourself repeatedly. Keep your tense consistent. Don't start a sentence or paragraph in past tense, then time travel to the present tense by the end. Do not write the same way you talk. These tips will help you a great deal. Memorize them and learn to mentally use them as you write or as you review your writing. I tend to e...

Editing Hurts

Editing hurts. Yes. It hurts when someone cuts your words, rearranges your sentences, deletes your creative use of language, etc. It hurts. The first thing a writer has to do is leave their ego at the door. Most writers write with passion and passion doesn't always reflect good grammar or proper use of punctuation. I recently edited for the CEO of a large corporation. She was taken aback by my edits and questioned if she wanted someone cutting her writing up like I did. But, while she might be a great CEO, her grammar, word choices and sentence structure were lacking. Most people, when writing with passion, give little thought to how their words are put together. The words spill out with feeling while grammar is laid aside. And that's ok. That's actually how it should be. We should write with passion.....then hire a good editor to make our points flow well and be cohesive. We editors make your passion shine by clothing your writing in easy-to-read prose with good ...

Grammar, Readability and SEO

Grammar and readability are not mutually exclusive to good SEO. I've recently read a few articles whose authors claim grammar is not a factor in Search Engine Optimization (SEO). However, I've read just as many articles which cite readability as a major factor for increasing SEO levels. You can't have one without the other. You can't have good readability and bad grammar. Good grammar is what makes readability exist....it's what causes your content to be easy to read. According to the Bedford Group , readability is defined as, "the practice of making your writing understandable and easy to digest for your target audience." (First of all, I would correct this to say, "the practice of making your writing understandable and easy for your target audience to digest," but I digress.) How do you make your writing understandable? How do you make your writing easy for your target audience to digest? Step one in answering these questions is goo...

Search This Blog