Three seconds. That’s about what you have to grab someone’s attention and get them to start reading your post.
Think about why you decided to begin blogging. Was it to make connections with other people around the blogosphere? I began blogging in 2007 when I decided to become a stay at home mom. I missed the adult companionship and wanted to connect to other moms like me. This changed in 2010 when I moved from my personal blog to start a review blog. I had entered the world of “professional blogging” but didn’t realize I had. Plus, I had no clue what I was doing.
What would I have done differently? I would have read Professional Blogging by Dummies by Susan J. Getgood. She had tips I still didn’t know about after almost three years on my site! Here’s some of the advice all new (and established) bloggers need.
1.Think long and hard about your blog name.
Titles need to be short enough to draw attention but catchy enough for people to remember. It also needs to be easy to spell and preferably, the same as the blog address. Believe me, I know this one first hand! I began as The Thrifty Things but realized that wasn’t the main focus of my site. I rebranded myself as Just Like June but neglected to change the url because I already had page rank. Huge mistake! It’s been a source of confusion since the change. Remember, it is hard to rebrand yourself.
2. Registering the blog immediately as a dot.com
Another mistake I made. I used a blogspot address and had gotten page rank before I decided to go to a dot.com. I lost my page rank and had to begin from scratch. As Ms. Getgood explains, you never know where your blog will take you. Start off with the professional dot.com.
3. Make your blog unique.
Choose a design that appeals to you but lets the reader know what to expect and what your subject will be. Do you have the money to hire a designer or can you tweak a template and customize it to your needs? (I’ve always had to go with the tweaking method.)
Has this whetted your appetite for more? Ms. Getgood includes must read sections for anyone wanting to work with PR Reps, including red flags that mark you as bad news, how to grab and hold a reader’s attention, how to get advertising, how to create a blog, design elements, and much more. Unsure how to find your niche or protect yourself legally? Want to know how to monetize your blog? (Don’t we all?) Learn this and more in Professional Blogging for Dummies. This is a book I’ll be keeping on my bookshelf for the rest of my blogging career.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
This book looks really good! I asked my husband if the “Easter Bunny” can bring it for me!
Thanks for the tips! I’ve been thinking about changing my blogs name, but I’ll probably keep the same URL as I don’t want to loose my PR.
Don’t you wish you knew when you started blogging that it would last? I think most of us would do things SO differently!
Sounds like a great book for beginners.
I was so blessed to have blogger friends BEFORE I started blogging
there are still some things I wish I had known then and this book is perfect for those.
Solid tips! Looks like a great read for a beginning blogger. Like you, I stumbled into blogging and made many mistakes along the way. Certainly wish I’d had a “dummies” guide then!
This sounds like an awesome book! Thanks so much!
I just stumbled into blogging and wish I had learned more first. You never realize when you are starting out exactly what you are getting into. I will check this out, I love all the for Dummies books!
Thanks for the review. I was very much the same way…stumbled in and found my own way.
those are 3 great tips and this book sounds like a great read
Sounds like a great read and a big HELP… great tips; thanks for sharing; MHHH maybe I can treat myself to it.