Back in September of last year, the ASA issued this document called 'An Influencer's Guide to Making Clear that Ads are Ads'. It's only become a thing on social media over the past month or so because a number of high profile celebrities were called out for lack of disclosure but it's a case of better late than never as there is much uncertainty out there around influencer content and how exactly it should be represented to readers.
Today, I'm going to do a bit of an deep-dive into what these changes mean for us bloggers and influencers, what we need to be aware of and how we can ensure we're following them, as well as going a little into the background of why these guidelines have been put in place. I hope this is useful and if you have any other questions or concerns - please do let me know in the comments.
So it's all about making it absolutely clear to readers if a brand is driving content, either through payment or gifting or both. It also covers the usage of affiliate links, where the brand knows if a sale has come to them via an influencer and will pay said influencer a commission (typically 3-5%) through a third party, if the customer keeps that item.
Up until this, almost all bloggers would have used the word AD to indicate that a piece of content was being paid for. If an item had been gifted however, the guidelines were not clear about using the word AD. Nor was it clear in the case of affiliate links. It was always just good practice and fair disclosure to indicate gifting and affiliate links and most bloggers did this using words at the foot of the post or in the body of the text.
The guidelines aim to create a clear and consistent approach so it is clear when influencers are working with brands and on what basis. This means that consumers will know what to look for and will be informed right off the bat if they're consuming content that is a brand promotion or sponsorship. As many of us like to incorporate brand content seamlessly into non-branded content so it feels authentic to us, this makes it even more important to be clear on when consumers are being advertised to.
So what should you do? Well step one is to update or create a disclosure page for your blog, which allows you the space to explain the guidelines and how you will be complying with them. I personally also link this at the bottom of my posts that contain gifted items or contain paid-for content - it just directs people to more information without having to put paragraphs of text under each post! Even my own disclosure page needs work - I want to make everything clear and cover off any concerns or questions readers may have, but I'm not sure if my desire to address everything makes it messy and difficult to digest... It's definitely something I plan on revisiting regularly to ensure it's as clear and concise as possible.
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After all of the time and effort that us bloggers put into every single one of our posts, why do we just send them out into the blogosphere and never pay them any attention again? Posts that are 3…6…9 months old are just as good as the content you’re writing today, they’ve just been buried underneath all of the other posts you’ve created.
It's tempting (hence the amazing pic above!) to just leave your older content alone, especially if you found it performed well at the time. Why fix something that aint broke? However, older posts are far more likely to have SEO benefits for your blog and can actually be used to bring new traffic and readers to your site – here are a few ways you can show some love to posts gone by:
- Regularly tweet out links to old posts (don’t go mad, maybe oncee every 6-9 hours)
- Every day, pin one of your old posts to a Pinterest board so it can get some fresh exposure
- Update old posts with new photos that match your aesthetic
- Update old posts with new/better information e.g. travel guides
- Write a follow up (“part 2”) post in response to one of your older posts, and make sure to link to the original article in the follow
7.Install a “Similar Posts” gadget on your blog that displays under each blog post
8.Showcase “Popular Posts” or “Reader Favorites” in your sidebar
9. Link to your all-time favorite posts you’ve written on your About Me page
10. Add Pinterest-friendly images to old posts so they’re more likely to get pinned and go viral
What techniques are you using to give life back to old posts?
10. Add Pinterest-friendly images to old posts so they’re more likely to get pinned and go viral
What techniques are you using to give life back to old posts?
It still hasn’t quite sunk in that it’s now 2018. Seriously, where has the time gone?! For the first time in forever I don’t feel anxious and uneasy about the new year starting, it just feels like another day, which I love! It’s that time of year again, time to look ahead to the next twelve months and do some goal setting!
1. Travel to at least 3 new places
I don’t think a list of goals would be complete without striving for some more travelling. Over the last year I have become a real homebody so hopefully this year I can get out of my comfort zone and explore new places. Topping my list is Prague, Bath and Canada.
2. Be more content
This is my number one goal for 2018. To be more content. To spend less time contemplating what other people think of me, how I should be spending my time, who I should be spending time with. Basically I want to feel happier and more secure in my own skin and to feel totally content with the decisions I’m making.
Instagram is not real life. Yet I compare myself to others on there on a daily basis! I honestly didn’t realize I was even doing it at first. I would spend hours looking at other bloggers perfectly curated stories & IG feeds and would think thoughts like “Wow, they’re so much more successful than I am”. This year I need to put my focus into my OWN content and stay in my lane. I no longer want to compare myself to other people’s highlight reels on social media.
3. Plan blog content & post consistently
This year I want to create and stick to a content calendar. Planning out blog post content so I can share posts on a consistent basis is a main goal for 2018. It always helps when I create a very organized calendar, so that’s what I need to do!
4. Grow my socials
I've had some pretty good growth across my socials over 2017 but would really like to take it to the next level this year! I'm hoping goal 3 can help massively with this - posting content consistently is kew for growing an engaged audience so that's the plan. My goals are 2k on Twitter and 20k on IG. You can follow me on most platforms @MattMaidment
5. Minimise
I'm by no means an expert in minimalist living but i did have a good go at it earlier in 2017. I wrote a blog post about my experience here. I'd love to get back into this in the early part of this year and really make an effort to de-clutter and minimise unnecessary purchases. No-spend January here i come!
Do you believe in making goals and resolutions? Have you made any for 2018? I’d love to hear about them!
1. Travel to at least 3 new places
I don’t think a list of goals would be complete without striving for some more travelling. Over the last year I have become a real homebody so hopefully this year I can get out of my comfort zone and explore new places. Topping my list is Prague, Bath and Canada.
2. Be more content
This is my number one goal for 2018. To be more content. To spend less time contemplating what other people think of me, how I should be spending my time, who I should be spending time with. Basically I want to feel happier and more secure in my own skin and to feel totally content with the decisions I’m making.
Instagram is not real life. Yet I compare myself to others on there on a daily basis! I honestly didn’t realize I was even doing it at first. I would spend hours looking at other bloggers perfectly curated stories & IG feeds and would think thoughts like “Wow, they’re so much more successful than I am”. This year I need to put my focus into my OWN content and stay in my lane. I no longer want to compare myself to other people’s highlight reels on social media.
3. Plan blog content & post consistently
This year I want to create and stick to a content calendar. Planning out blog post content so I can share posts on a consistent basis is a main goal for 2018. It always helps when I create a very organized calendar, so that’s what I need to do!
4. Grow my socials
I've had some pretty good growth across my socials over 2017 but would really like to take it to the next level this year! I'm hoping goal 3 can help massively with this - posting content consistently is kew for growing an engaged audience so that's the plan. My goals are 2k on Twitter and 20k on IG. You can follow me on most platforms @MattMaidment
5. Minimise
I'm by no means an expert in minimalist living but i did have a good go at it earlier in 2017. I wrote a blog post about my experience here. I'd love to get back into this in the early part of this year and really make an effort to de-clutter and minimise unnecessary purchases. No-spend January here i come!
Do you believe in making goals and resolutions? Have you made any for 2018? I’d love to hear about them!
Before starting my blog I kept on going back and forth debating with myself. I wasn’t sure if I could actually do it, what benefits it would have, and if anyone would read it. Now, after a couple of years or so of blogging I am so glad I created one. It has helped me grow as a person and is the perfect way to spend my extra time. It can be hard work, but overall the benefits outweigh the hardships.
I put together my top tips of things you should be focusing on if you’re considering starting a blog, or if you’re a newbie blogger trying to improve. These are things I wish I’d done, and some things I’m still working on! If you’re considering diving into the blogging world or just getting started, this might be helpful to you. There’s endless reasons why you may want to start a blog, but I wanted to highlight a few good ones incase you haven’t plucked up the courage to hit publish… yet.
1. You want to find a way to connect with others
Absolutely my favourite thing about blogging and social media in general is connecting with other like-minded people. There is nothing better. It’s not always applicable to meet online friends in real-life if you don’t live close to one another, but having an online space to come together and share your journey is great. You’ll be able to build relationships with your readers, as well as other bloggers. It’s great to connect with others, share stories, talk, and support each other.
2. You want to find a career
Now blogging might not become your full time job (although it could), but it can help you figure out your passions in life. You may discover you like writing and want to work for a magazine or be a journalist. Or you may discover you like photography and pursue that. Or you may want to work in fashion or for a lifestyle brand. The possibilities are endless, but starting something as a hobby is a great way to discover what you’re passionate about. And having a blog doesn’t hurt.
I learned really quickly that there is no such thing as work-life balance. It is virtually impossible to find the perfect balance. But, you can find what works for you. Think about what your ultimate goals are. Do you want to quit your day job? Work from home to have more time with your kids (or dog, lol)? Do you want millions of followers and to run your own business? Or do you just want a creative outlet? Figure out what your goal is and let that guide you to finding the right “balance”.
3. You're looking for a new (FREE) hobby
It’s important in life to find something you enjoy doing when you’re not working or in school. Blogging can be a great hobby, and you can do it all for free! Blogger is a platform by Google that allows you to create a blog in minutes, and all you need is an email address. If you want you can buy a design, but they offer free ones that you can customize.
4. You have something to say
I wouldn’t advise to start a blog just because they seem to be ‘popular’ and you want to hop on the bandwagon. I mean, you do you, but if you have something to say, that’s a great reason to join the Blogosphere in my opinion. If you are passionate about a certain topic, whether that be technology, gaming, or mental health, a blog is the perfect opportunity for you to share that with other people, and a space where your passion will thrive to even greater lengths.
Just remember to plan your content! When you plan your content in advance, you give yourself a little wiggle room for those days you just don’t feel like creating. If you don’t have something to fall back on, you end up with huge gaps in your posting schedule (like The Guy on Trend unfortunately has sometimes), which looks kinda lazy. Consistency is crucial not only to maintain and grow your readers, but it also looks great to potential sponsors!
When it comes to blogging, there is no right and wrong way of doing it. We are all individuals, and as such, our blogs should reflect that. However, there are certain things that all bloggers should do. So today I thought I would share some things that everybody should try and do. Just remember to take this post as a guide: while I’m saying you should try and do it, that doesn’t mean your blog won’t succeed without it.
Create a media kit
A media kit is an absolute must if you want to get taken seriously and considered for brand partnerships to really start monetising your blog. It’s actually taken me over a year to make mine, and I really wish I had made it sooner. Basically, a media kit is like a CV for your blog. It tells prospective clients what your blog is about, its achievements, and how well it is doing. You can then send this off to brands if they approach you about collaborations. It's a lot less wordy than an essay explaining the niche of your content and the demographic of your readers. Prospective clients can get all the info they need about your blog on a single page.
Hosting
You'll also want to self-host your blog with a trusted site. The reason you want self-hosting is you have more flexibility to do what you want with your blog. Self-hosting means you own your blog entirely. You can grow it however you want, add multiple domains, and pay for site maintenance/support. It’s all under your control. For beginner, to mid level-bloggers, I recommend Bluehost because it has all the capabilities you could possibly need for a reasonable price. You won’t need unlimited bandwidth with 10,000 KBs of memory (I don’t even know if that’s the right terminology I’m just making this up right now). Plus Bluehost has outstanding customer support. You send them one email expressing your concerns and boom they email you back almost instantly. This is especially helpful if you don’t know what the heck you’re doing.
Create a content calendar
One of the most exciting things about starting a new blog is having all those ideas of different content that you're going to create. But what's the best way to plan out exactly when you're going to post when and where? A content calendar of course! The first step in creating a content calendar is to create a weekly schedule. What I mean is you designate each day of the week to a specific topic. For example, fashion bloggers could do something like this: Monday = Shopping haul, Tuesday = Outfit post, Wednesday = Outfit video, Thursday = Round up of your week, Friday = Follow Friday. This way, even if you're not actually posting content everyday at least you've got a big backlog of posts just sitting there ready to go - perfect!
At this point, you should be pretty well organized – you got your weekly schedule down, and you've got your content ideas ready to go, now it’s time to actually create. Most bloggers blog as a side project or hobby so we're very limited on time. We have a lot to balance and without managing our time accordingly, our side hustle can suffer. It’s easy to get off track and miss one day which turns into one week which turns into one month and then you’re back at square one. In order to avoid this, you need to make time for when you’re going to write the post, when it’s going to go live, and what time you’re going to promote it, otherwise it might not get done at all.
Make your blog easily searchable
It’s SO important to get those Google bots crawling your website regularly so that your site data is kept fully up to date. The easiest way to so this is by creating and uploading a simple Sitemap file. It lets Google know every time your content has been updated, and crucial every time you launch a new page or product if you run an E-Commerce store. This is super simple if you’re on Wordpress because this tool will do all the hard work for you.
Yoast is a Free Wordpress plugin that enables you to preview how your site will appear in Google results, as well as take some of the most important keywords you’ve picked up from Google Trends and give you the best tips of how to optimise for them efficiently. It’ll also advise you on the best pages to internally link and the most common phrases and keywords used throughout your site to give you an excellent summary of your site’s performance vs. the most important search terms you’ve been researching.
We’ve all come across those stories about a blogger that makes £100,000 a month from their blog, or a blogger that started a blog and then sold it on for six gajillion rupees or whatever, and we’ve found ourselves wanting to be these people. Of course, we have. They have a blog, how easy is that. You start a blog, write on that blog and then become rich (and maybe even famous). Simple, huh? Well, no. Not really.
Yes, it is totally doable, but it takes dedication, determination, passion, persistence and, at the top of the list, a mentality that says you are serious about blogging. Chances are, your blogging is going to be terrible, to begin with, but that is part of the journey to greatness. The question is, how do you speed up this journey?
Well, here are my top tips for anyone that wants to be a successful blogger:
Don’t Stop Reading
If you want to become a respected voice - an expert - then you need to do as much reading as you possibly can. You need to read up on the area in which you will be blogging and keep up with current trends and opinions. But you need to go further than this too. Running a blog is like running a business (that’s the long game, right?) and that means you need to know about marketing techniques, business strategies, and start buying self-development books as well as Twilight, or whatever you’re secretly into.The more you can do to grow your confidence as a blogger the better. If you want to be an expert then you need to read what the experts are saying, learn what works for you and then learn how to apply these to your blog.
Know Your Niche
This isn’t 2007 anymore. You can’t get away with having a general blog that covers all things at all times and that is because the competition has exploded. Everyone has blogs nowadays, some of which have been around since 2007, which means they have the upper hand, especially on Google.
That’s why you should narrow your niche and really focus your topic. If you’re interested in online gambling, then start out with a blog that acts as an online bingo review. If you want to become a travel blogger, then narrow this down to how to travel on £5 a day, or RV travel, or a specific location. The more focused you are the more of an expert you will become, the voice for those interested in that subject.
Shake It Up
If you want your blog to have real value as a resource then you need to offer something that other’s don’t, and that is thinking differently. When you write, try and have a point of view that is different. Present what you are saying in a way that hasn’t been done before.
To do this, look at what your competitors are doing. If they are all about long informational texts, then use video and short snappy cliff notes. If they write in a serious way then make your posts funny and lighthearted. If they are using stand alone blog posts, then why not make a story out of yours, a journey that people will want to keep coming back to. Innovation is the key to quick success.
Investment Is The Only Way
Thomas Jefferson said the man who stops advertising to save money is like the man who stops the clock to save time. You have got to spend money on your blog. Don’t view this as a negative thing, though. It is an investment and a wise one at that. It is worth spending money on a designer instead of pinching pennies and having a shabbier design instead.
A little bit of money can go a long way on this front. All of the money you spend will improve the experience your views get and that is what will keep them coming back. So spend a few hundred quid here and there, look at it as an investment that you will recoup, and maybe quicker than you realized too.
Come Up With A Product
We mentioned it above, but you have to think of your blog as a business and all businesses sell something - a product or service - and so should you. It could be a Kindle book you have written, t-shirts, bits of art, a course in something, tours of a place or even other people’s products through affiliate marketing. Whatever it is, just make sure you have this something in your arsenal.
The reason for this is, well, it keeps you independent and that is attractive to a reader. It will keep you independent from sponsors and advertisers and brand deals and even competitors, and also act as a way for you to scale up yourself. Your website, your revenue.
So you've created your very own blog (congratulations!) and have started frequently posting new content that you're super passionate about. Good start. The eternal struggle I had when I first started blogging just less than a year ago now was how to grow my audience and maintain that growth as the weeks go by without having to rely on things like paying for advertising space on blogs that were a similar niche to mine but had a much larger following. Organic growth is always best.
There's tons of guides online that'll tell you they can show you how to make $1,000 in your first month of blogging or get to 1m Instagram followers in less than a week.. but seriously it's just not possible, well not legally anyway. I thought I'd pull together my top tips on growing your blog organically and how to get away from hiding behind your laptop and actually actively promote your blog - scary i know!
I've written a couple of blogging advice posts already which you can check out below so give them a read and let me know if there's any other tips that would be helpful, although maybe yano finish reading this one first?
- Creating Content You're Proud Of
- Growing Your Domain Authority
- Staying Motivated & Overcoming Bloggers Block
- Reasons To Start A Blog Today
- Considerations Before Launching Your Blog
- 10 Ideas to Boost Your Blog Today
#1 | Reach out & engage with the community
Bloggers don't bite! There's no better way to organically grow your blog than simply engaging with other bloggers and content creators and getting their thoughts, feedback and criticism on your content. There are Twitter chats every day of the week to get involved in and start sharing your latest posts. This will help gain not only visitors to your blog but hopefully lifelong readers and subscribers too.
Blogger events can also be a fantastic face to face alternative to virtual chats, and usually end up being much more productive. Most of them centre around London but ask around and see if there are any taking place on your area, or if not why not create one yourself? They are the perfect way to meet local content creators and come up with new collaborations.
#2 | Think about post titles - SEO is key
I am absolutely no expert when it comes to SEO, but I do know that the choice of title really helps. Posts with titles such as '5 things/ways/......' are always good. They're more likely to come up on search engines. I mean, I definitely don't stick to this all the time, because you've gotta keep it personal too! It sounds obvious but always try and make your title clear to the reader what they might be about to click through to on your blog.
For example, if I was writing a post about the technology I use everyday, I wouldn't want to just say "Never leave the house without your iPhone". This certainly sounds interesting, which might get you a few clicks, but doesn't actually explain the post of the post. Something like "The tech I use everyday" is much shorter and to the point, but also does a better job of explaining the subject of the content your readers are about to see.
When creating, and uploading a blog post, keywords should always be in the forefront of your mind. Without your vital keywords in your content, search engines won’t be able to see what your post is about and then can’t show it in their search results. If you take anything away from this incredibly long blog post it has to be about the importance of keywords.
Before I start a blog post, I always do a little keyword analysis. It doesn’t have to take forever, and it doesn’t have to be long winded. I think about the post that I am going to write, and I start using search engines to look for certain words or phrases to see what results come up and if it is a keyword that I want to implement into my post. Then I will write my post. I won’t think about keywords for the time being, I will just write my post as I want it to read so that I know it has a good flow to it.
Then when it is in the proofing stage I will go through and implement keywords where I think it needs them. You do have to be careful though not to put too many keywords into your post. If your content doesn’t flow and it is choppy due to the overuse of keywords this can go against you in regard to SEO. Everything in moderation is key and make sure that it reads nice and smoothly when you are finished.
#3 | Create eye-catching content
I don't know about you, but the first thing that entices me into reading a blog post, is the photography. I think its good to keep the photography clean, and simple. Well, this is if you're photographing products of course. A busy background can often distract the eye from the product you're talking about, so keeping it simple(ish) is always a good idea!
I often visit sites such as Unsplash to get stock photography that's free to use. This way even if you're not a dab hand and taking photos you can still create super engaging content that will be more likely to get people clicking on, whether that be through Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter or others.
I often visit sites such as Unsplash to get stock photography that's free to use. This way even if you're not a dab hand and taking photos you can still create super engaging content that will be more likely to get people clicking on, whether that be through Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter or others.
#4 | Don't be afraid of social media
My next point on this guide is based around the myth of too much self-promotion. When you first start out it can often be daunting to keep tweeting about your latest post and flooding instagram with all your fancy new flat lays, but the truth is you just have to keep at it if you want to get a serious following. Determination is the most important thing when it comes to starting out. For the first few weeks or even months you won't get any followers and barely and readers. But that's just it, you shouldn't be writing your blog for sole purpose of quitting your job and making big bucks blogging all day because let's face it it's just not going to happen that way. Blog for yourself first - always be selfish when it comes to the content you create.
I've gone off track slightly...but you get the point. There's so much social media has to offer when it comes to promoting your blog. Heres just a couple of pointers:
- Comment on at least 5 blog posts per day with a link back to your site.
- Use hashtags that fit your blog's niche like #BBLOGGERS or #LBLOGGERS.
- Post regularly on Instagram and engage with the users that like or comment.
- Link back to your blog in the bios of all your social media - make it ridiculously easy for people to find your blog.
So that's my short and sweet guide to growing your blog organically. There are various ways to to pay for more traffic and more followers, which I can cover in another post but really the best route to a successful blog is creating content that you enjoy and sharing it with others that feel the same.
#5 | Invest time on your header & logo
When somebody clicks onto your blog, the first thing that their eyes see most of the time is your header or logo. What you need to do with that header is make sure that it is good enough to entice people in and want to stay on your page. It needs to clearly show what your website or blog is about and be easy to understand. Anything that is too intense and crowded can often turn people away.
When people click onto your site and then go straight back off this is classed as a bounce, when your website hits a certain percentage of bounces Google will start to think of your website as spam and will try to refrain from showing it on their search results. A normal percentage bounce rate is around 40%, any more than that and you are in the red zone of what is acceptable. When designing your header, you just need to have in the forefront of your mind, does this represent my blog? Does this represent who I am as a person and a blogger? And, is this easy to understand and does it get my message across?
#6 | Consistency is key
To hold your audience and keep them interested and wanting to come back you need to be consistent on your blog. If they like what they read but you don’t post for months at a time they aren’t going to spend their time keep coming back to see if you have finally uploaded, they will just go elsewhere to see what somebody else has to say and you have lost yourself a reader. Make sure that you think of a schedule in your mind and try to stick to it. It doesn’t have to be set in stone but just a rough guide to keep you on the right track.
I write and upload a blog post every alternate day or at a push, every third day, this is manageable for me and I find it really easy to do. This way, I can upload on time every day without too much pressure and my readers know where they stand because majority of the time there will always be something new for them to take a look at.
Also, when you upload on a regular basis it also helps to boost your site up the search engine rankings. Platforms will notice that you are consistent, and they will link that to being a source of reliability so they are more likely to show you on their search results. You don’t have to upload all of the time but just be consistent in your uploads and try and stick to a noticeable plan.
#7 | The speed of your blog
We all know how annoying it is when you click onto a website and it takes forever and a day to load up. It literally does my head in and if I click onto a website and it isn’t fast responsive I will click back off because realistically who has the time to watch a website load for what seems like forever? Always check that your website can handle what you are uploading. For example, if you are uploading a post which is very heavy in images make sure that they aren’t too large. Yes, we want the images to be high quality, but you can keep the quality and have a reduced file size. It just allows people's computers, phones and tablets to be able to handle the amount of data that you are trying to show on their screen.
If your site does take a long time or it even gets to the point where the screen times out because it takes that long, it can be really negative for your all-important quality score. The little Google-bots that scan your site will notice how long it takes to completely load and this will impact your position on the search rankings because Google don’t want to show anything that will look negative on them. At the end of the day by Google having us high on the search rankings it is basically them promoting us for free, so they need to make sure that what they are pushing is good stuff.
If you've not come across the term Domain Authority (DA) before, then simply put it's a measure of between 1-100 of the quality of your website in terms of SEO. This is SO IMPORTANT for the blogging community because your score will go along way to determine the ranking of your content in search engines such as Google. Allowing users to organically find your blog content via search is the holy grail when it comes to our community because it means focusing less on broadcasting your latest and greatest post all over your social media, and more time writing the next post!
Generally speaking, a DA of 25 is a good benchmark for a quality website that contains SEO friendly content. Brands often request a DA of at least this standard before working with potential influencers to ensure that the blog on which their product/service will be promoted will be beneficial for them in terms of additional traffic to their own site.
How to increase DA
The first question you're probably asking yourself is "Well what's the domain authority for my blog?". Well I'm glad you asked! Head over to Moz Open Site Explorer and enter the URL of your site to find out just that. There's a couple of key stats to take note of here:
DA Score - Authority of the entirety of your site (www.theguyontrend.co.uk)
PA Score - Authority of a specific page of your site (www.theguyontrend.co.uk/p/advertising)
The easiest way to increase your domain authority is gaining quality external links to your blog. The best way to do this is simply by commenting on blog posts you enjoy and making sure to include a link back to your website. If the blog you commented on has a high DA and you get a decent number of clicks back to your website from that page then it will benefit your own authority score. Simple right? Just remember, increasing your DA is no quick process mainly due to that fact that in can take some time to get relevant clicks back to your content once you start leaving lots of comments and secondly sites like Moz only update their stats around once a month - so keep checking back regularly to see how your score is improving over time.
Another great way to improve the DA score of your site is some simple SEO house keeping. Little tasks like remembering to include meta descriptions, title tags and cross-linking to other content on your site throughout your posts are quick wins when it comes to tackling your score.
Always remember to go back and check your old blog posts for any broken images and especially broken links. Google will instantly spot these and punish you and your DA score. Linking to a product on ASOS that no longer exists? Change it. Linking to an old article that's since been moved? Find it and update the link. All of these little bits of blogging admin soon pile up but will ultimately improve the score of your website and allow you to confidently reach out to brands and improve your site's ranking on search engines.
Lastly, remember that your DA will generally increase in line with the age of your website so these things can take a lot of time. I've only been blogging regularly for just over a year and have so far managed to keep my DA pretty stable at 12/100, which is still very much below average but I've noticed it improve significantly over the past few months as i've started to add new SEO-friendly content to the site on a regular basis.
I hope you've found these tips helpful, do you have any more advice on growing and maintaining a healthy DA for your blog?
Do you often feel uninspired and unmotivated to write a new blog post? Is your blog looking tired and in need of a refresh? Same! I thought I'd pull together a few quick ideas on how you can up your blogging game.. right now! No long term project or expensive hacks.. just quick and easy steps to a better blog and a more motivated you!
1. Update an old post
This seems like it could be a waste of time but seriously.. re read your 5 most popular blog posts and update them with fresh experiences. Have your views and opinions changed on the subject? Let your readers know! They must have been popular posts for a reason so it makes sense to keep them fresh right? Maybe add some new or better quality images as well to really freshen up your content.
2. Don't forget self-promotion
Got a load of new content but nobody reading it? Don't forget to shout about your latest posts across social media and share on Bloglovin'. That's where I get over 75% of my page views from so it makes sense so share your content with as many people as possible using popular hashtags. Self-promotion can be a daunting thing when you're just starting out but it's the best way to get eyes on your blog. Tools such as buffer or Tailwind are great ways of automating and scheduling your content across social media.
3. Get a new template
Now I tend to do this every 3 months or so just because I get bored easily of the layout of my blog, but it makes sense to refresh your template a couple of times a year just to wow your existing readers when they come back to look at your content, and of course entice new visitors into your blog! I always use Pipdig for my templates, which don't come cheap but are amazing quality and come with all the instructions you need to create an amazing new layout.
4. Cross-link to new content
Be sure to add cross-links from older blog posts to newer ones with a similar theme to make sure your readers are finding your newer content. This will also help to stop losing visitors after reading only a single post on your site. This is also a great way of encouraging new followers and comments when people discover new content that they enjoy!
5. Submit your blog to search engines
Sites like Google Webmaster and Bing allow you to submit your website to ensure that it's always listed on their respective search engines. You can also learn handy SEO tips to get your blog listed as high up search result pages as possible to maximise traffic visiting your site.
6. Reach out to new brands
If you want new opportunities and sponsorship deals the easiest way to get them is to just get out there and communicate with brands that really match the content of your blog, and suit the interests of your readers. Brands are always more attracted to blogs that seem to fit the style and tone of their brand and products. So start chatting to them and who knows!
7. Clean out your side bar
If you use Google Analytics to track how visitors engage with the content on your blog then you should be able to identify widgets and areas of the sidebar that your readers simply aren't using? Are there any elements you could remove to allow you to focus on other things? Popular post widgets are often a waste if the content featured in them is out of date. Definitely worth a look.
8. Brainstorm future content
Does blogging inspiration always strike at the weirdest times or is that just me? The only time I can't think of a new post is when I actually sit down to write something so make sure you're constantly taking notes throughout the day if you get new ideas for content. You'll always forget later on! Try and pool your content ideas into categories then create and share new posts from each category over time. This will ensure readers are always enticed to return to your blog with the promise of fresh posts.
9. Create a survey
If engagement with your most recent posts has taken a nose dive and you're not sure what's wrong then why not create a survey using a tool such as Survery Monkey to find out what's frustrating your readers. There's almost nothing worse than getting decent sums of traffic to your blog but very limited comments and feedback on your content. If you don't ask then you'll never know.
10. Buy your own domain
Having your very own fancy .co.uk or .com not only looks more professional and appealing to potential new readers but also gives you a whole host or new options when it comes to customising your site and adding new widgets and content. I always use GoDaddy for cheap and reliable domains and hosting, you also get a few business e-mail address too..fancy!
I hope these tips have helped inspire you to give your blog a 2017 refresh! Have you got any other ideas to share?
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