So a lot of you have been asking me for a while now what some tips and tricks for blogging are, so I figured I’d just write a blog for you with a few tips that have been of fundamental use in my personal blog. I hope you find these helpful in expanding your own blog!

1. Your title is everything.
Try to come up with something unique, creative and that will draw in readers. An easy way you can do this is by asking yourself “if I were the reader, would this title draw me in?” I like to title my blogs before I write them so the blog stays on topic of the title, but sometimes I think of a better title while I’m writing and that’s totally okay!

2. Keep the featured image interesting and professional looking.
When I first started my blog, I used all of my own photos for my featured images but I just couldn’t keep up so I began snagging photos from Pinterest or Unsplash and it created such a clean and professional look! Make sure not to use over-edited photos, as this is something I see frequently (and ugh, it really makes me cringe). Try to stay away from using photos taken with a phone (I mean, unless it’s a newer gen iPhone because ya know, amazing cameras).

3. Add in a few stand-out quotes here and there.
If you’ve noticed, I do this for every single one of my blogs. I put in tons of short-enough-for-twitter quotes that my readers can quote and post themselves. I make sure that these are the ones which stand out the most in the blog because when they have that extra little spark, it’ll draw in more readers (especially when others quote it).

4. Try to keep it as short as possible.
Ha, if you’re an active reader of my blog, you already know that this is a hard one for me. I always have so much to say but readers tend to lose interest and focus if the blog is too long. If it’s on the longer side, make sure it’s either super interesting or super helpful!

5. Make sure your website is clean, simplistic and never cluttered.
Your website design is everything. If it’s too cluttered and inconsistent, the level of interest will skyrocket down. Less is more. Make sure to keep it as clean, organized and professional looking as possible! Choose a theme that fits your style and stick with it! It can be overwhelming to a viewer to see too many colors, too many photos, too many menus, etc.

6. Try to write about topics that are helpful to others.
If your blog is only about you, your stats won’t end up very high. Write about topics that can help others and that others can relate to! Be creative with this and remember, your blog isn’t about you, it’s about your readers.

7. When you promote a blog, add something more interesting than “new blog post!”
This will spike people’s interests and make them want to read your blog. Rather than promoting it by a simple “new blog!” say something interesting about it! Take a quote from it, explain why you wrote it, etc. Get creative with your promos!

8. Post at night.
Not a ton of people are too deeply invested in social media throughout the day because usually they’re at work or in class just quickly scrolling through. At night, most people are just chilling at home bored anyway, so posting at night will help you get more viewers! I get the most views on my blog around 9pm-12am.

9. Add interesting information about yourself!
Let your readers get to know a little bit about you in your about page! It makes your blog feel much more personal and intimate.

10. You’ve probably heard this a thousand times, but consistency is key.
Keep your blog alive and active! Try to set a goal for yourself for how many times you want to post on your blog a month and try your hardest to reach that goal! You will get writers block sometimes and that’s okay. Don’t try to force words, let them come naturally. So don’t beat yourself up if you miss a goal, but try to make an attainable one!

And last but not least,

11. Who cares how many readers you have? Just keep writing.
I get that it’s hard to get a lot of views if you don’t have a big follower count on social media, but the more consistently you write, the more readers you will get. Don’t let not getting “enough views” stop you from writing what’s on your heart! You never know who’s reading. Do it for the one, not the 99.

“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t He leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?” / Luke 15:4

Blogging is hard because sometimes I think a blog is going to do really well but it ends up not doing well at all, but I have to remind myself that if even a single person benefited from it, the entire blog was worth it. Don’t let the views (or lack thereof) discourage you. Keep being consistent, you truly never know who’s benefiting from your words.

I hope these tips and tricks were as useful to you as that have been for me and will help you grow your blog even more! I can’t wait to see the way some of you put these tips and tricks into use!