Blogging Tasks I Used to Think Were a Waste of Time

I started blogging with the intentions that most have when they start: I just want to write about my life and share it with others who might enjoy reading about it. How naive. I had no plans to “get into blogging” let alone make a cent off of it (we’ll get more into that with a later post). Yet, here I am.

I’ve kept at it for the last 4 years. Like most, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into in the beginning. I’m like a sponge when it comes to educating myself on a new subject. I read all the newbie advice posts that I could back in the day. Some of the advice I took right away. Some I thought was unnecessary.

 

 

Here are the tasks of blogging that I previously thought were unnecessary but totally are:

 

Take original photos

I always knew deep down that using your own photos was the right thing to do, but I never thought of the other side of that equation. People visit your blog for you. They don’t want to see photos that have been regurgitated on every other site.

 

Edit said original photos

Once I got it in my head that I needed to use my own photos, I had to get over the fact that I couldn’t just use them straight out of my camera or, goodness gracious, my pre-quality smart phone camera days. Take the time to make sure your photos are bright, clear, and lay off the Photoshop actions (I should have followed this advice sooner).

 

Make all of your photos the width of your content area

This one took me a while to commit to. Now that I have, it drives me CRAZY when I see blog images that don’t fill the width of the content area. I suppose it’s the OCD in me. It’s just a lot more aesthetically pleasing to the eye when it all lines up nice and neat. Now that I mention it, should I be using justified text?!

 

Create images for Pinterest

I knew that Pinterest had a big influence on most bloggers, but I used to think it didn’t go any further than adding a “Pin It” button to your blog and pinning the crap out of your own posts. Month after month, Pinterest has been my biggest referrer when it comes to blog traffic. I credit that to the fact that I started creating a “pinnable” image for most of my posts. Sure, if I’m doing a good old fashioned journal type of entry, I might not make one. But if it’s a tutorial or recipe, you’re darn tootin’ it’s got a pinnable image.

 

Insert hyperlinks to old posts in new posts

My thinking was, if someone’s already reading my blog, they’re going to stick around and search for my other posts automatically. Right? Wrong. I know that when I’m reading a blog post, I am way more likely to click on a hyperlink with crazy text like I wanted to die I was so embarrassed rather than the usual link of archives on the sidebar. Did it work? 😉

 

Use an editorial calendar & plan out posts

This is the grand daddy of all things that I have learned in my blogging days. I used to write when I got inspired because, I thought, that created a blog that was more varied and fun to read. Upon my experience, writing when I was inspired left a blog that was devoid of new posts. Turns out, life is pretty darn busy. And when you leave blogging to chance (especially when you have kids), it usually doesn’t happen. An editorial calendar helps keep my creative juices flowing and it keeps the blog fresh. It’s a win, win.

 

If you’re a newbie blogger reading this, I beg, plead, urge you to heed my warning. Follow the advice of someone who has been there, scoffed at that. You might not think these things are necessary, but the sooner you implement them into your daily blogging life, the sooner you will see your blog grow, grow, grow!