The Blogging Bible for Newbies

If you blog and you are anything like me you started it to keep a written record of everything that happens with your children and family. I had people telling me “you should write this stuff down” or “you say some of the funniest things, you should really start a blog”. 

So I thought to myself…Why not?  It’s just like an online journal, what a fantastic way to share my voice and to chronicle all the happenings in your life while saving paper at the same time.  WIN-WIN-WIN!

So I hopped onto Blogger (because I thought that was the best place to start) and signed up for a free space.  Then BAM!  It hits me, I have to name this thing, choose a format, and design it.  “Okay, okay” I said to myself, “you can do this…no reason to panic…yet”.

But as I started navigating the blogosphere, I started to realize that there are some fantastic blogs out there.  I don’t want to compete with them by any means because my blog is mine and mine alone.  But I’d like it to look awesome, and I would love for it to draw more attention like some other blogs out there. 

Then the questions in my head started.  But how did they get that fantastic header?  How did they create those nifty buttons?  How in the WORLD did they generate all that traffic and get all those followers?

So I set on a quest to make my blog better.  But where to start?  There is SO much information out there.  Too much for me.  I have three boys and don’t have time to filter all of the websites to find the exact information I’m looking for. 

Thankfully, I don’t have to spend hours upon hours doing the research.  Because Melissa at www.momcomm.com  has created a FABULOUS DIY Blog Critique eBook.  How cool is that?  All that searching online done for you and put together in one easy place?  Yes please!

 

People, let me tell you.  As a newbie blogger this eBook has it ALL!  From designing your blog to make it stand out, to understanding what the heck a SEO is (yeah, I’m still working on that one myself), and even content.

When I started blogging I had no idea that it only took three seconds for someone to form an opinion about my blog space or that “your header is the most important branding element on your blog…It’s a powerhouse that holds your name, tagline and visual identity all in one spot”. (page 12)  The great news is that with this eBook I now know the keys and tricks to make my blog design and header POP!  Not to mention how to find rocking social media buttons and how to make my very own blog badge (currently in the works here at Staying Afloat).

There are things in the blogosphere like site navigation and SEO that I’m still trying to figure out.  But I’m thankful to have this eBook to use as a reference and quite frankly a dictionary because I’m telling you I had no idea what a SEO was, let alone what it stands for.  For those of you that are like me it stands for Search Engine Optimization.  Don’t worry, with this eBook you don’t need to be the next Bill Gates to understand SEO, it gives you the basics.  Which is exactly what I needed. 

We all want to be good hosts to the visitors of our bloggy home so we want to make it easy to find things, easy to get around and easy for our visitors to give bloggy love.   And this eBook tells you just how to do it. 

Content.  My words, my thoughts, my feelings…that’s what blogging is all about for me.  But I also don’t want to feel like I am the only one out there feeling this way, or thinking these thoughts.  So I definitely want to connect with my readers.  Through the DIY Blog Critique eBook, I’ve realized that I need to tell my readers something about me and the purpose of my blog in an “About Me” page.  It’s kind of nice to get to know the person behind the words.  I’ve also learned that if I want to eventually branch out into working with brands, I need to say so right there on my blog.  There’s no way people will know otherwise. 

There is so much in the blogosphere that can make your head spin.  Melissa’s DIY Blog Critique eBook is a fantastic tool to help stop the spinning, and give you a step by step, easy to understand process to take your blood, sweet and tears…your blog, to everything you’ve ever wanted it to be.  Which is why I think it should be in the hands of every new blogger out there.  It is what I consider to be the Blogging Bible for Newbies.

*Disclaimer: I was given a copy of the DIY Blog Critique eBook for review.  All opinions, thoughts and words are my own.