Introducing a new series...Blogging 101!

I am so excited to announce the newest series here on Miss Indie...Blogging 101! This will be a fun series of tips and tricks for the modern day blogger. It doesn't matter if you're a brand new blogger or if you've been blogging for years. Every post will share simple, basic tips that are helpful to everyone, whether you're a lifestyle blogger, fashion blogger, craft blogger, mommy blogger, food blogger....you get the idea. :) I wouldn't say that I'm a pro at blogging or that I know everything there is to know, but I've definitely learned a few things in my 3 years of blogging and I want to share as much as I can to help other blogger create the blog of their dreams.

(Note: This series will only cover blogs using blogger.com. I've never used Typepad, Tumblr, or Wordpress, so I'm not able to give any tips for those platforms regarding design/html. However, most posts in this series will be helpful for any blogger, no matter the platform you're using.)

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥ ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

For this first post, I wanted to share a quick little tip that is easy to implement into your blogging routine: Creating an engaging post title. When I first started blogging, I'd name my posts whatever struck my fancy, be it song titles, random phrases, or just a few "cute" words. I still do that from time to time for random little posts, but I've learned that it pays to write an engaging, creative title for your posts. Here are the main reasons why:

1. A huge portion of my readers are subscribed via GFC, Bloglovin', and RSS feed. When my posts are sent to them (either in their email or their Google reader), they don't see the entire post right off the bat. They get to see the title of the post, a couple sentences, and maybe a photo. That's why it's so important to have a clever title that really captures your readers' attention. Something informative, interesting, or even funny will make your readers more likely to click to your blog to read the post.

2. One of my biggest sources of traffic comes from search engines. Think about it...how many times a day do you use Google or Bing or Yahoo to look something up? Maybe a recipe or tutorial? How many of the link that you click on turn out to be blogs? Having a descriptive title for your post is a must because it gives your posts better search ranking and is key for your blog to have good SEO (Search Engine Optimization, a term we will go over more in depth in the future). Here's an example:

Let's say you write up a post about making perler bead brooches. "My Latest Craft Project" isn't a horrible title for the post, but naming it something like "How To Make Your Own Perler Bead Brooches" or "Perler Bead Brooch DIY" is not only going to show up better in searches, but it's also going to make more people want to to click on your post to check out this latest craft. You want to make sure that your post titles, at least for your high quality content, are exciting, descriptive, and engaging.

I really hope that you've enjoyed the first post in the Blogging 101 series and that you've found it helpful. I'm excited to share more and more tips and how-tos every week! xo. mandy

Google Reader is closing soon! via Bloglovin to get all Miss Indie updates! xo.