I read hundreds of blogs a week.. So trust me when I say I have seen them all. The good, the not so good, the bad, the ugly, and the very ugly. My blog isn’t perfect. In fact it is nowhere near perfect. I still have a lot of work to do on it, but it is where I need it to be for now. I go on so many blogs on a daily basis, many of them I won’t visit again unless I have to. So I thought I should share some tips on how to make your blog stand out from the rest.
Here are some features my favourite blogs have:
Have a Sleek Design
My definition of a sleek design is simple, chic, easy to navigate, and not overloaded with ads or unnecessary widgets in the sidebar. I like to be able to comment on a blog post easily and quickly too.
Mobile Friendly & Quick to Load
I like mobile friendly blogs and I like blogs that are quick to load, because I usually browse through my favourite blogs on my iPhone. Some blogs are painfully slow, it takes ages for a post to load, and I find it so frustrating. You having a mobile friendly quick to load blog is an easy way to stand out as a blogger.
Regular Posting
I like blogs that are updated regularly, and by regularly I mean daily. I hate it when I read a post or 2 that I really like, only for the blogger to not post a new blog post for a week. That puts me right off. I hate waiting.
Pretty Pictures
I am a very visual person, and if you read my blog regularly, you would know that. I enjoy taking photos. I have been playing around with my Canon camera, and I am also currently taking a Lightroom course to improve my editing skills, so I am still a work-in-progress. But I am not where I used to be 3 years ago or even 6 months ago. The quality of my photos have improved massively and that is because I pay special attention to them.
Paying attention to your photography is one of the easiest ways to stand out as a blogger. Take it from me. Many blogs have not so good photos, and that is me putting it mildly. You will stand out easily by having amazing outfit or product shots, with the right props, pose and lightening. Go the extra mile, it is never crowded.
Have a Search Box
Make sure the theme of your blog layout comes with a search box. It is a very useful tool to have. It makes it easy for brands, PRs, and You to find old blog posts. As a blogger outreach consultant, I may sometimes have to dig into your blog to find relevant blog posts before contacting a blogger. A blog not having a search box means I have to go through the entire archives or rely on Google to find the relevant blog posts. Most times I just move on to the next blog.
Categorise your Blog Posts
I see so many blog posts listed as ‘uncategorized’. That is a big no-no in my eyes. I am an organised freak so all my blog posts have to fall into a category. You not categorising your blog posts is off-putting. For example, I may just want to read your fashion posts, but you may also blog about pets sometimes, if you have your posts categorised, it will be so easy for me to find the fashion posts that interest me.
How do you make your blog pop? How do you make your blog stand out?
These are some really helpful tips Stella! For me, regular posting is so important as I want to know when you’re going to post and similarly, beautiful photos will always draw me in!
Musings & More
Yea pretty photos are so cool.
Mobile friendly is so important now, especially for Google searches.
Yea it is.
I so agree with your points, especially with photos. Like you, I also respond to blogs with photos. It’s also difficult when the blog’s design isn’t mobile friendly. I change mine every now and then but always make sure that the lay-out is mobile friendly 🙂
I love pretty photos.
Great tips i try and do most if these. Photos are definitely important as well as mobile friendly and easy to navigate.
These are great points photos are definitely important along with being mobile friendly and easy to navigate.
Yea x
I am new to the blogging scene – only 3 weeks of blogging. This is very useful info for me. Thank you so much for these great tips!
Ah nice. Hope you enjoy blogging.
It’s fun, but a lot of work. And frightening too! HA.
These are all great points. I’m a newbie so don’t judge mine too much, hehe 🙂
Thanks for reading Francesca. We were all newbies once. Off to check your blog..
Good post!! My blog’s layout etc is quite simple because I didn’t want it to be too ‘busy’ and distracting from the posts.
Yea a busy layout distracts readers..
Great tips – particularly the bit about posting daily. I see lots of bloggers who complain about their stats but then say they post just a couple of times a month. I think it has to be REALLY great content to get away with that.
Yea it has to be the Best ever..Lol.
Great tips. I love the bit about posting daily. I see so many bloggers moan about their stats then you find they only post once or twice a month. It has to be REALLY great content to get away with that.
I have started categorizing my posts now and I think it does help the reader gauge the content of the post!
Yea it does definitely.
Awesome tips, I don’t like blogs without a search box it makes it impossible to find specific posts you know they have shared
Yea it does.
It amazes me how many people don’t have things as simple as a search box! Why not? It just makes for a frustrating user experience doesn’t it? x
Yea it does. Many bloggers forget these things.
Great post Stella.
Have a lovely week. God bless.
M
You too hun xo
I agree with all of this. Posts with no photos really put me off and when they have a pictured background, I can’t read it properly!
Yea I dislike pictured backgrounds a lot.
Some great tips there, it is so true that these little things can make such a big difference
Yea it is.
These are some great tips, being mobile friendly is a big one for me because that’s where I do most of my blog viewing etc….
Jordanne || Thelifeofaglasgowgirl.co.uk
Yea it is…
Awesome tips hon. Buuut I see you must hate my blog coz for now I only post once a week, so I do make you wait for the next one! I will move to 2 posts per wk though to help my traffic. I cant post Daily, that cant happen till I have other peeps writing my blog….Hope you are enjoying your hols! ( :
Thanks hun..I love your blog but yea you are making me wait..Lol..Looking forward to your next post.
great tips… i think the best way to make your blog stand out is to be unique and your self…
Yea true that.
I absolutely agree. I hate too many pop ups. The occasional one is fine but if if pops up the second I land on the page then I am off never to return.
I can’t stand pop ups..
I think that design and speed at the first things that attract me to a blog. I don’t like pop-ups or blogs that have so many ads that crash my browser. I usually just press the X button straight away on those kind of blogs.
I hate multiple pop ups too..So annoying.
Thank you lovely, these are great tips 🙂 I will check mine are all in order..
Thanks for reading Claire.
I think i’m following all of these but I could be wrong….. It does bother me sometimes when I see some awful blogs and yet they’re doing so well. What is their secret?
They may be doing as well as they appear.. Looks can be very deceiving in the blogging world.
Mobile friendly is so important these days as most people do all their reading on phones and tablets
Yea I read a lot of blogs on my iPhone.
Really good tips. It’s so important to have the whole package too. Speed of a site effects SEO as well, so the quicker the better x
Yea Alina xo
The font people use is a huge issue for me, I detest Times New Roman and will do anything I can to avoid that blog, same with size of the font and spacing between paragraphs x
Yea font is also an issue for me. Some look so weird.
These are great tips. A mobile friendly design is essential. I don’t think I have a search box. Will have to check x
A search box is good to have.