Recipe for Creating a Delicious Blog

I have someone pretty special here today.

Someone who took the blogging world by storm when she started writing.

Her encouragement, support, and delicious treats are known literally world wide.

She not only writes for her blog but for two others! Contributing her stories to help women realize they are Enough and mothers around the globe know they have someone to relate to.

It doesn’t hurt that she has an adorable child either.

Please welcome Alison from Mama Wants This and love on her!

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I had no idea what I was getting myself into the day I decided to start a blog. One moment I was toying with the idea of starting a blog to guide mothers on all things baby and maternity, the next moment, I was coming up with blog names. Before I knew it, I’d registered Mama Wants This! on Blogspot.

I was swimming in a sea of unknown. I had a vague idea that in order for the blog to take off, I needed readers. Where do I find them? How do I engage them? Why would they read my blog? Why wouldn’t they? WHAT THE HELL DO I DO NOW?

If only I had a recipe (you see, I bake). So after 6 months of bobbing around in the vast ocean of blogging, here’s my recipe on ‘How To Make A Good Blogger’.

Ingredients

One good blog name. It shouldn’t be too long, or spelled strangely. Preferably, it should be the same as your URL so it’s easy to remember. For you AND your readers.

One decent design. Try not to do white text on a dark background. It really messes with your eyes.

One header. It can be simple to start with. You can always play around with it as you go along, but do think about your header. It’s one of the first impressions a reader makes when they first visit your blog.

One  direction you want to take your blog. Is it a mommy blog? A photography blog? A food blog? You can adjust your focus and goals as you go along, but do start with something you know.

Method

Write something. Regularly. It could be daily if that’s what you like, or 3 to 4 times a week, but do it regularly.

Read other blogs. Regularly. You can start with 5, then 10, then 20, and so on.

Comment on other blogs. Regularly. Blogging is give and take. Don’t sit back and wait for comments, be generous, and give some.

Interact with your readers. Regularly. If you get any early on, respond to your commenters. Build a dialogue, and subsequently a relationship/ friendship. It’s a two-way street.

Join a community. There are so many out there. Take your pick. Put your blog out there. Look for like-minded bloggers.

Join Twitter. Get tweeting.

Participate in writing prompts and linkys. Writing prompts exercise your writing muscles. Linkys, well, they link you to other bloggers.

This is just a simple getting-you-off-to-a-start-recipe to be a good blogger. As your blog grows and you finally think of yourself as a blogger, there are many more ways to improve on your writing, blog design, growing your readership, building your own community, engaging in the various forms of social media – but hey, that’s another recipe for another day, eh?

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Leighann, thank you so much for having me here today, it’s an honour!!

THANK YOU Alison! You are always welcome!!