Blogger, Blogger, how does your blog grow?

                                                With love and work and, and, and, and….
The last month I have received several questions from friends that were thinking about starting a blog. I get the same question over and over again, “BUT, how do you get followers?”
I thought I would put together a beginner’s quick guide for newbie bloggers to start gaining readers. There is NO PERFECT formula but there are some general rules to help you get started.

#1. Stop worrying about getting followers if you just started your blog. That simple. Now, you will eventually want to set a goal you will want to reach but for now put the thought of followers out of your brain.

#2. Content. Content. Content. You need to focus on posting in your niche. Let’s say it is cooking. Post recipes, pictures, and cooking flub-ups (because we are human and your readers might like to know you mess up too).  Videos are a great addition to a blog so if you have the skills to place up a video then do it.  It doesn’t have to be Steven Spielberg movie quality– just show your personality.

#3. Post on a regular schedule. If it is once a month, make sure you post once a month. After awhile you can set that goal we talked about in step one. Maybe you want ten followers a day, then you are going to have to visit other blogs and be *blog socialable* (and yes, I just made that phrase up). Do not be spammy! Do not beg people to follow your blog. Be genuine and be yourself. You MAY gain followers this way you may not but it is the best start.

#4. I can’t stress this next one enough: Content. Content. Content. Get the picture?

#5. Make sure you tag your blog post with the right keywords. You DO NOT need to saturate your posts with a hundred tags. Make sure you pick relevant tags for your posts and it is important to tag each post separately.  These tags help search engines find you on the world wide web!

#6.  A call to action.  If you want followers for your blog, ask them to follow you when you post your content.  Many people will follow you if they like what you have to say and you just ask them to follow you.  Do Not Spam their websites and blogs though.  Only do this on your own blog or if you have something helpful you can offer another blogger perhaps reach out to them.  Do not spam them.

Keep at it and you will see your followers grow.  Make sure you click the follow me button on the right-side column <– see what I did there 🙂 and I will post more helpful tips to grow your blog in the coming week.

This is not a guide from A to Z but it will hopefully ease your unease about starting a blog… and for those of you that think you can start monetizing your blog right away—think again. Many of us have been at this long time. It takes time to build an audience and we love what we do and we would be doing it regardless of an income.  I think that WordPress is a great site to start your blogging journey so do your own research and then jump in and blog!

If you have any helpful tips  or even questions please, please share them below and help our community grow.