Hi, friends! Last time I wrote a post like this in March (Six Lessons in Six Months of Blogging), I had just passed 100 WordPress followers, and I now have over 250. Woot, woot!
The number isn’t impressive compared to other bloggers, but I’m willing to wait for slower audience growth if it means I can post Christian devotionals along with classic literature and movie comparisons and exercise posts and other random things without limiting myself to a niche.
I also got this notification the other day. Thanks, WordPress, for marking milestones at seemingly arbitrary points, lol.
I genuinely try to build a community on my blog; I spend hours a day reading/liking other posts, leaving comments, and responding to comments, etc. As a result, I have a high engagement level for my follow count. I hope I can always find time to support other bloggers.
Anyways, enough rambling! These are some random blogging tips/things I’ve thought about or noticed lately. Don’t be offended if you’re guilty on some of these; you’re perfectly entitled to think I’m wrong. 😉
Stop It With the Pop-Up Ads
I understand there’s a delicate balance between necessary self-promotion and abrasiveness, but I feel annoyed when I click on a website and don’t even get one second to look at it before a window pops up and blocks the post I’m reading while asking for my email address. I’ve seen some pop-ups that appeared at the top rather than consuming the screen, so that’s a smart way to do it if you feel compelled to use a pop-up.
De-Clutter Your Website
Yes, there’s fifty widget options. No, you don’t need to use them all. A website with too many widgets is a tough-to-navigate, slow-loading eyesore. I myself use the widgets for Facebook, Twitter, Follow on WordPress, Follow via Email, and Categories.
Be Mindful of Colors
Working in a digital studio, I thought the advice we gave on colors was kinda obvious…’til I started blogging. No, neon green + blue + red is not a good palette! These articles–one, two–have helpful info on color schemes.
Another color tip: use canva.com to design logos, banners, etc. Once you find the precise colors you want to use, write down the number codes for the colors so you can use the exact same colors in promotional materials. For example, the purple and pink in both my logo and Facebook cover photo are the exact same.
Optional: Change Footer
I figured this out when making other websites. The default WP footer reads, “Blog at WordPress.Com” but there’s other footer options under “Site Identity” on the “Customize” page. My favorite is the logo with no words.
Comment Hop to Find Active Users
In the past, I’ve recommended growing an audience by browsing tags or searching words and seeking interesting blogs. Unfortunately, I’ve recently realized there’s a lot more bloggers than blog-readers…I want to call it self-absorption, but maybe some people don’t have the time or don’t see the need to build a community.
Perusing the comments sections of posts I like has led me to some bloggers who I know are actually willing to listen (read/comment on others’ posts) and not just speak (write posts but never read others’ posts).
That’s all my advice for now. Thanks for reading, now and always! Do you agree with my blogging tips?
Retrospective Lily 
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