* The images for this post contain gifted items with Femme Luxe Finery who kindly sent me the White Satin Neck Tie Blouse and Black Cargo Slim Fit Trousers. Pretty Little Thing kindly gifted me the Nude Heels.
Okay, admittedly this post is a little bit of a click bait, I'm not going to tell you all the things they don't tell you about blogging (don’t hate me!)
I've been blogging on and off for a long time now and throughout those years (many of which I was producing appalling content, but lets call it ‘character building’), I learnt a lot about blogging. Don't get me wrong, you can read a lot of guides about how to start a blog and be a better blogger etc. but I believe it all comes down to practise, every blogger learns from their own mistakes and we all learn by talking about our mistakes. My A-Z to blogging is not a definite guide but it's all the things I've learnt along the way of being a blogger.
Affiliate programmes
Who would have thought you can live in a world where you’d get paid to recommend your favourite items…Welcome to 2019. Most affiliate platforms pay on a click basis (CPC). Adsense and Affiliate schemes may not generate lots of income at the beginning, but as your audience grows and the trust grows amongst your audience, the clicks increase. It’s a great way to gain a little bit of income and learn about the business side of blogging.
A few programs to consider: Amazon Affiliate programs, Shopstyle Collective, Commission Junction, Affiliate Window, Reward Style, Pulsepoint.com, Zalando
Be you
Although they say imitation is the best form of flattery, no-one likes a direct copy. We’re all inspired by people - fact, but content authenticity is your global superpower because let’s face it, in a world of thousands of content creators, there’s only one you.
Consistency
Blogging is a marathon, not a sprint. Perfectly curated Instagram feeds, brand deals, collaborations and invite events do not come instantly. It takes time to hone your craft and see the fruits of your labour. It’s not uncommon for a blogger to work years until they get their first brand email. However, consistency is key.
Domain
Buying a domain is a smart move. As soon a blog name comes to you, make sure you purchase it with a .com or .co.uk domain, as this will stop someone from stealing your great blog name. And if your dream name is taken, tools like Psychicwhois.com search the web to help you find available domains.
Events
I love blogging events. For my first few events, I received the invites and then thought to myself ‘who do i take with me?’ ‘I have no friends interested in 'this’ and so went alone. Yes, it may feel lonely attending your first few but it’s a great place to networks and interact with the wider blogging community, some of my closet friends have been made through the blogging community.
Find your target market
If you’re a 18-24, female living in London, what would you like to read on the internet? Write articles people are searching for and write what you want to read. This will help you build a engaged audience. It’s also great to get ideas from your audience through asking them.
Good web design
If I had a pound for every time I see great content, but a bad web design, I’d be a very rich woman. And I get it, a good web design can mean things to different people but a bad design can get in the way of good content. Etsy.com have some great blog templates to buy.
Hashtags
I was reading blogging legend, Victoria Mcgrawth a.k.a Inthefrow’s book ‘The New Fashion Rules’ and she gives her best pieces of advice for starting out a new blog and touches on the topic of hashtagging, discussing the ideal number and how to know if the hashtags are relevant. Her book is one to read if you want the low down on all things #.
Income
Blogging is a highly profitable industry and there’s no hiding that fact. And with time, you’ll see income flow into your hard work but it’s not the be all and end all. If you’re starting a blog solely because of the income benefits, you may want to think about whether you’re starting it for the right reasons and if you’ll actually enjoy it.
Journey
No blog has to be perfect at the get go. Even bad web design is common at the start for many successful bloggers. But it’s all about the journey. Flat lays are a prime example of this. When I see people posts pictures that have compared flat lays from a couple of years ago vs now and you see the improvement, it warms my heart.
Key words
A topic I’ll discuss in much further detail is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). This includes the placement of keywords in your posts to improve your SEO. It’s an art making sure your key words fit naturally and aren’t keyword stuffing exercise. Using keywords makes it easier for readers to find your pages. When they enter their search query, search engines crawl websites to find the closest match. If your web page includes the words they use in their search query, search engines use that as an indicator that your page is relevant and it goes right to the top.
When thinking about key words, think about the type of language your target audience would use.
Linking to other blogs
Collaboration with other blogs is a great way to get your name out there. Guest posts or threads where you answer a load of questions and nominate other bloggers to are both great ways to do this. I think this is one of the best ways to start getting some traffic and building an audience. Guest posting provides a great opportunity for a new blogger to write an post that hundreds and thousands of others can see - quick and effective.
Manage your time
I make a content plan which plans out what I want to produce and when I want to publish it. I also try and do all my Instagram content on one day of the week so it’s ready to go. Effective time management means different things to different people but content plans and Google calendars are what I live by.
BONUS M: Mail lists
Build an email list they said. If you ever want to sell or promote something, having people’s email addresses (and their permission to use them) is essential. It’s a great way to really turn your blog into a brand.
Network
One of best ways for new blogs to get traffic is just to comment on other blogs. This goes with Instagram posts too. Commenting with a thoughtful and/or provocative response will often send a few visitors your way. One of the things I love about the blogging community is that it is generally very social, and you can develop relationships you can develop with other bloggers by just commenting on their content.
Openness
I recently read an article that suggested bloggers that are more open and treat their blog as a conversation, having much more of a story to their articles are received better than bloggers that simply state where they got their clothes from.
Prepare for criticism
Not everyone is going to like your outfits, makeup or what you have to say. And nowadays, people are more willing to type out ALL the hate on social media.
Blogging is a highly profitable industry and there’s no hiding that fact. And with time, you’ll see income flow into your hard work but it’s not the be all and end all. If you’re starting a blog solely because of the income benefits, you may want to think about whether you’re starting it for the right reasons and if you’ll actually enjoy it.
Journey
No blog has to be perfect at the get go. Even bad web design is common at the start for many successful bloggers. But it’s all about the journey. Flat lays are a prime example of this. When I see people posts pictures that have compared flat lays from a couple of years ago vs now and you see the improvement, it warms my heart.
Key words
A topic I’ll discuss in much further detail is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). This includes the placement of keywords in your posts to improve your SEO. It’s an art making sure your key words fit naturally and aren’t keyword stuffing exercise. Using keywords makes it easier for readers to find your pages. When they enter their search query, search engines crawl websites to find the closest match. If your web page includes the words they use in their search query, search engines use that as an indicator that your page is relevant and it goes right to the top.
When thinking about key words, think about the type of language your target audience would use.
Linking to other blogs
Collaboration with other blogs is a great way to get your name out there. Guest posts or threads where you answer a load of questions and nominate other bloggers to are both great ways to do this. I think this is one of the best ways to start getting some traffic and building an audience. Guest posting provides a great opportunity for a new blogger to write an post that hundreds and thousands of others can see - quick and effective.
Manage your time
I make a content plan which plans out what I want to produce and when I want to publish it. I also try and do all my Instagram content on one day of the week so it’s ready to go. Effective time management means different things to different people but content plans and Google calendars are what I live by.
BONUS M: Mail lists
Build an email list they said. If you ever want to sell or promote something, having people’s email addresses (and their permission to use them) is essential. It’s a great way to really turn your blog into a brand.
Network
One of best ways for new blogs to get traffic is just to comment on other blogs. This goes with Instagram posts too. Commenting with a thoughtful and/or provocative response will often send a few visitors your way. One of the things I love about the blogging community is that it is generally very social, and you can develop relationships you can develop with other bloggers by just commenting on their content.
Openness
I recently read an article that suggested bloggers that are more open and treat their blog as a conversation, having much more of a story to their articles are received better than bloggers that simply state where they got their clothes from.
Prepare for criticism
Not everyone is going to like your outfits, makeup or what you have to say. And nowadays, people are more willing to type out ALL the hate on social media.
Quantity
Decide on a plan for how frequently your content will be and stick to it. This goes for the quantity of sponsored posts too and the balance between this and original content.
Regulation
Click here for all the ASA guidelines. To put it simply, I stick #ad on anything I receive money for and {ad gifted} on anything that has been sent to me in exchange for coverage. Also declaring past relationships with brands on posts is something to not get caught out by.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is an art. It’s all about getting your website or blog to the top of the search engine listings for any decent keywords, this being a great source of traffic.
The use of plug ins work wonders, as well as directories, anchor texts and key word research websites that have good reputations to boost your SEO.
Theme
The use of plug ins work wonders, as well as directories, anchor texts and key word research websites that have good reputations to boost your SEO.
Theme
This can cost anywhere from £50-£100 so you may not want to do it at the beginning, but once you’re committed to blogging and want to invest a few bucks, putting that money toward a premium theme is a good investment.
Understanding financial implications.
Deadlines for tax returns and all that fun stuff I’d hate to bore you with in this post. Maybe I'll do a dedicated post in the future?
Volunteer
Don’t be afraid of pitching different ideas to the brands you want to work with.
Write for yourself first
Volunteer
Don’t be afraid of pitching different ideas to the brands you want to work with.
Write for yourself first
It's your blog, you should feel happy with the content you are putting out there. And if you're not, maybe its time to step back and think about the reasons behind why you love blogging/content creating.
X - Let’s be honest, apart from the word Xylophone, I don’t thing my vocabulary matches any blogging 'need to knows' with the letter X.
Youtube
Don’t feel the pressure to start a Youtube channel. A lot of people say you won’t get as much traffic or engagement without motion content on youtube. But with the rise of Instagram TV (IGTV), you can enjoy the creation of video content without having to start again on a new platform.
Z - Urm.....Not going to happen!
So, there we have it, my non exhaustive, personal A-Z (excluding X and Z) of the things I've learnt on the journey of being a blogger.
Mx
Z - Urm.....Not going to happen!
So, there we have it, my non exhaustive, personal A-Z (excluding X and Z) of the things I've learnt on the journey of being a blogger.
Mx
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