TO SHARE WHAT I LEARNED

 Several weeks ago, I wrote a post, Wooden Leaves and Tenth Blogiversary, about how things have changed in the blogging world, my blogging world specifically, and how I'm trying to grapple with these changes and trying to accept them. I questioned whether it was worthwhile continuing to blog and whether or not blogs are slowly dying.

The response to this post was incredible and overwhelming. The love, empathy and advice came pouring forth from so many of you. And in the Comments, I heard from several other bloggers that they had learned from some of this advice and planned on incorporating these ideas into their own blogs.

Since I have received such a vast amount of information and advice from so many of you, I thought I would share with others the bounty of these thoughts so it was not only I who benefited. Many of these ideas require some technical savvy, so I am still trying to work my way through those. Others are common sense, and you may already know some of this.

Below I have compiled all the helpful tips I received. Have fun and run with whichever of these seems to fit your blogging situation. 

On the Instagram platform, check out linktr.ee to add links to other platforms where readers can find you, such as your blog, your Etsy shop, your Facebook page, your Twitter account, and your Pinterest boards. When you figure this out, all of it will appear on your Instagram home page. More links that were mentioned as helpful included linkin.bio and smart.bio. linktr.ee is free to use.

Use YoastSEO to optimize each of your posts for SEO. 

A blogger application that creates links for readers to be able to share your post on social media easily is Add to Any. 

Since it's good to pay attention to SEO and algorithms, Keywords are important to use throughout a blog post.

Fix or change any broken/nonworking buttons on your blog home page. If you have any problems with your page, it looks bad for you and visitors may not come back out of frustration.

If you don't already have these, add buttons for readers to easily follow you on the various social media platforms, such as Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. (I am working on that now, but am having no success whatsoever.)

It's good to have posts on your blog that are considered "evergreen", those that are worth revisiting, as these posts are timeless. Make it possible for your readers to do so.

Add labels/tags so people can find an item of interest they may be searching for.

Create a Gallery Page. 

Provide links to other similar posts that you have written, such as, in my case, other autumn cards I have made. Just for further inspiration.

Keeping readers on your page longer makes Google happy.

Utilize links directly to products you may have been referring to in your post. 

You could explore and get involved with affiliate programs. If anyone buys through your links, you earn a commission.

Attach a shop to your blog or to your Instagram account.

Tag others, in my case, Stampin' Up!, on any card posts on Instagram.

Utilize Instagram better, such as expanding to Reels or Stories, not just still photos. Make Reels using your Smartphone on a tripod to film your creation.

If you have a Facebook Business Account, use the Meta Business Suite to schedule Facebook and Instagram posts.

Search out and become involved in Facebook groups that work together to help build each others' traffic. These groups are also good for brainstorming.

Pin your work often to Pinterest.

Be consistent in your blog posts. For example, if you decide to publish posts on Tuesdays and Saturdays, be faithful about doing so, as your readers will expect to find fresh content from you on those days.

 

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That's about it. Many of these hints are still flying right over my head. But, hopefully some of you wonderful bloggers out there will find benefit in one or two of these helpful nuggets. 

If you have any further comments or advice, we would love to hear from you! Thank you to all who have contributed through comments on the Blogiversary post. Not only do I appreciate all you put into them, but I'm sure a lot of us bloggers take to heart what you have shared. GO BLOGGERS!

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If you would like to create a card like the one at the beginning of my post, just go to Pinterest and search for the maple leaf quilting pattern. It took me some trial and error, but I did it!

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Never give up on something that 

you can't go a day without thinking about.

- Winston Churchill -

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Smiles.