Most bloggers love their RSS readers. Not only that, but they also love to make new RSS readers. It is such a joy when you wake up one day and see that Feedburner number jumped to 200 or 300, right?
Those days are pretty rare, though, and most people seem to have a hard time getting even a small number of new RSS subscribers constantly.
Is there anything I can do about it? One way to efficiently get more RSS subscribers?
Sure there is. Many people have written about this topic before, but I wanted to give my opinion on the matter too. I wrote those 50 ideas were coming to my head, as briefly as possible. Enjoy.
1. Have a great icon RSS. People are lazy. You must always keep this fact in mind. If you are using a small RSS icon, visitors may have a problem finding it. Most of these will just give up after a couple of seconds, so make sure the RSS icon is large and easily recognizable.
2. Display the RSS icon above the fold. In addition to using a big RSS icon, you must ensure that you receive above the fold. This is where most blogs have one, and that is where people are accustomed to look for when they want to sign up, so go with the flow.
3. Display the RSS icon on each page of your blog. When I started blogging I have made this mistake. Only my homepage used to have an RSS icon .... As soon as I added to every single page of the blog, the number of subscribers jumped.
4. Use words. Depending on the audience, using only the RSS icon may not be effective. If you are not tech savvy, they may not know what that little orange thing is. In these cases, you can write a short message explaining that the subscription will enable them to keep up to date with your posts and so on.
5. Write a post to ask people to sign up. Ever heard the saying "Ask and you will receive"? This principle works on most areas of our lives. Blogging is no exception. If you want people to subscribe to your feed, ask them! Write a post about it, give them some reasons and you will see how they respond.
6. Use the plugin FeedSmith. Unless you hand code a lot of redirects on your blog, readers will still be able to subscribe to different RSS feeds provided by WordPress. This plugin will make sure that all of your subscribers will be forwarded to the Feedburner feed, so that you can keep track of them and check how your feed is formatted.
7. Offer email subscriptions. Like it or not, only a small percentage of Internet users know about or use RSS feed. Studies confirm that this number is lower than 10% all over the world. Why do you want to lose the other 90% of the pie? If you use Feedburner, you just go on the "Publicize" to activate your e-mail subscriptions.
8. Use an application form e-mail. For most bloggers, an application form will convert better than a simple email link "Subscribe by email". This is because Internet users are accustomed to seeing those shapes around, and typing in your e-mail address is not intuitive enough. The upper part of the sidebar is a good place to position one.
9. Encourage readers to sign up at the bottom of each post. In addition to having the RSS icon and email subscription form above the fold, it is also important to put them in every single post. Why? Why do people end up immediately after reading your articles, you are looking for something to do next, and subscribing to your blog is a good option. In addition, if the item you just read was really good, will be on the right mentality to subscribe and receive most of your articles in the future.
10. As few steps as possible. People are lazy (I know I mentioned it before, but it is worthwhile to re-emphasize). The minimum number of steps required for them to subscribe to your blog, the better. If you can reduce the number of clicks needed, so do it!
11. Use the icons for subscription offer on the most popular RSS readers. One practical thing that you can do to reduce the number of steps required to subscribe to the feed is to use an RSS reader specific icons (for example, "Add to Google Reader" or "Subscribe in Bloglines"). Just parse RSS readers more common among your subscribers and add those icons to the sidebar.
12. Having clear focus on your blog. If you write about 10 different topics, it will be difficult to get people to subscribe to your blog. Could you write your articles on technology, but would hate to get those cleaning the house .... Having a clear focus is one of the most effective ways to attract subscribers.
13. Publish new posts frequently and consistently. Frequently intend to publish many posts a week or even a day, and always intend to stick with that frequency religiously. These two factors communicate to visitors that your blog is active, and that by subscribing to the RSS feed might be the best way to keep up to date with it indeed.
14. Do not overdo it. When writing many posts per week or per day, it is usually a good thing, there is a limit to it. Many people report that if a certain blog starts overwhelming them with dozens of new places daily, they will just unsubscribe. The exceptions to this rule are blogs in niches fast pace as gadget news.
15. Write valuable content. The only people to subscribe to your RSS feed if there is any value that may result from it. This value may come from several different factors depending on your audience: it can come from the latest news that you offer, deep analysis that you write, or the funny things you say and so on, but there must be.
16. Write unique content. The content may be valuable, but if people can not find anywhere else, they will have no reason to subscribe to your RSS feed. For example, suppose you copy all of the post of a popular blog on your niche, say Lifehacker. The content would still be valid, but it would not be unique, and most people would subscribe to the original source.
17. Do not ramble or go off topic. If your blog has a clear goal, as we suggested earlier, readers will subscribe for a very specific reason. If you then start to write about off topic stuff, it will annoy a large part of them. Suffice it to say that a bad post or stranger is worse than no message at all, since it might make some of your readers actually unsubscribe.
18. Use the link for the RSS feed by commenting on other blogs. Many bloggers have a habit of commenting on other people's blogs. Some do it simply to join the conversation. Others because they want to promote their blogs and generate some traffic. In both cases, you can leave your RSS feed link instead of the site to encourage people to subscribe to your RSS feed (if you use Feedburner, they will be able to see your content anyway).
19. Run a contest. The competitions are very popular on the blogosphere. If you have a blog a little 'popular, in fact, it is not difficult to increase some premiums and create one. Taking subscribe to your RSS feed obligation to participate, you could quickly increase the number of subscribers you have. If you want to control who is going to take this action, use the email subscription.
20. Offer random prizes to your subscribers. If you're not a fan of contests and prizes, you can always entice people to subscribe to your RSS feed, giving random prizes. For example, if some company comes close to donate some free copies of its product, it could in turn donate it to your subscribers
21. Write guest posts. Guest posts are a very effective technique to generate both brand awareness and traffic. If you guest blog on a popular blog on your same niche, there's also a good chance that a good percentage of this incoming traffic will end up subscribing to your feed.
22. Welcome to new readers. Every time you manage to land a guest post on a very popular blog, or when you get sued on a website or big mainstream site, it might be a good idea to write a post specifically to accommodate those readers. Use that post to describe your blog briefly, to talk a bit 'about you, and to encourage them to subscribe.
23. Go on popular social bookmarking sites. Some say that the quality of traffic from social bookmarking sites (such as Digg and StumbleUpon) is very low. This is true in part because the visitors rarely click on anything on your page (including the link subscribe). Due to the huge amount of traffic that you can get on these sites, however, even a very small conversion rate could easily mean 200 or 300 new subscribers in just 24 hours.
24. Explain to your readers what is RSS. As we mentioned before, it is estimated that less than 10% of people know about or use RSS feed. You can do something about this? Sure you can! Write a post to teach your readers what RSS is, he is good, and how they can start using it. It works especially well on blogs that do not have a tech-savvy audience.
25. Have a special page "Sign up" with all the information and links there. In addition to writing a post specifically to teach your readers about RSS, you can also create a special page "Sign up" on your blog where you explain briefly how to use RSS feeds, and put all the links of subscription, badges, and forms of mail. You can then create a link to that page from the sidebar, with a link that would say "Subscription Options" or "how to apply".
26. Create a landing page on your blog to convert visitors into subscribers. If you plan to buy some banners or other type of advertising, you are strongly advised to create a landing page to get the visitors on the best possible way. Use this page to describe your blog to highlight the best content, and to ask them to sign up. When you do guest blogging, you can use this page as a link right as well.
27. Send traffic to that page using PPC. Pay-per-click advertising such as Google AdWords is one of the cheapest ways to send targeted traffic to your site. Depending on the quality score you get (this is calculated from the AdWords side), you might start getting visitors from $ 0.01 each. That is, with $ 100, you can send up to 10,000 visitors to your landing page. With a conversion rate of 1%, that would mean 100 new subscribers.
28. Write an ebook and ask people to sign up to download. Whether you like it or not, books are a part of internet. Many people write them, many others to download and read. If the content and promotion are well structured, there are thousands of people who want to read yours. What then if you require people to register before you can download? This would bring a lot of new subscribers devil.
29. Start a newsletter with Aweber. An email newsletter can be used to integrate the content most blogs. It sends a weekly email to those subscribers with your opinions of the experts in your niche, with some extra tips, tools and so on. If you then choose Aweber for your newsletter, you can use the "Blog Broadcast" function to turn those newsletter subscribers in RSS readers too (they will get a weekly summary from your feed).
30. Offer a full feed. If your goal is to have the largest number of students possible, thus offering a full RSS feed is the only way to go. Many people are annoyed by partial feed, and although this does not discourage them from sign at first, might make them unsubscribe shortly after.
31. Clutter your website with ads. This point is a funny / strange addition to the list, and I do not recommend anyone to do it. I did not invent this, though, and I've seen some people talk about it in the past. The idea is simple: if you clutter your website with a lot of flashy ads and intrusive, but offer higher quality content, in any case, some people may have a desire to subscribe to your RSS feed just to avoid clutter on the site. ...
32. Do not clutter your RSS feeds with ads. Just as too many ads on your site can scare visitors away, too many ads or badges or link to your RSS feed can be unsubscribe. Keep your RSS feeds as clean as possible. This is what people expect to have when they subscribe to an XML file, after all.
33. Use social proof. Ever walked into a restaurant because the place was full of people, or do not get why it was empty? This is social proof in action. If you have a good number of RSS subscribers already (I would say more than 500), you can display on your website using the Feedburner feed count widget. This could motivate people to give your RSS feed it a shot.
34. Offer breaking news. RSS feeds are one of the most effective ways to keep up with sites that are updated frequently with information that interest you. If you can break some news, or to provide frequent updates on popular topics (such as alerts bag), people would have a strong motivation to sign up.
35. Mention that subscribe to your blog is free. It may seem strange, but many people actually get confused with the terminology "Subscribe". I received dozens of e-mails over the past year from people who wanted to know if there was any cost associated with subscribing to my RSS feed! To avoid any confusion, it might be worth mentioning that subscribe to your blog is free, so instead of "Subscribe to my RSS feed" you could use "Get our updates free of charge."
36. Use the pop-up to encourage subscription to the newsletter. Darren was able to increase its conversion rate by over 700% through pop-ups. Sure, they're pushy, but they work like nothing else. If you already have an established and loyal following, perhaps using this technique would not be bad traffic. We also did a recent survey on the subject.
37. Please use an animated icon RSS feed to get attention. Animated ads get a much higher click-through rate, because they move around and attract people's attention. You can use the same technique with your RSS feed icon, and make an animated GIF to draw the attention of visitors.
38. Use the directory power. Do not expect to receive hundreds of new subscribers, using this technique, but every little bit helps right? Some people use the feed directory to find new content and RSS feeds to subscribe to, so if you have some free time you can submit yours on those sites. Here is a list of almost 20 feed directories.
39. Email first time commentators encouraging them to subscribe. Sending a personal email to your first time commentators is a kind gesture, and many will thank you for it. You can use this opportunity to remind them that they can stay up to date with your blog via the RSS feed. There are also a plugin called Comment Relish can automate this process, even if it becomes less personal.
40. Make sure that the auto-detection function of supply is working. Most modern browsers have a function of self-discovery that has sought to identify whether the site you are visiting is a valid RSS feed. If they do, the browser will present a small RSS icon on the right side of the address bar. So make sure that your able to see the icon while visiting your blog, and click on it to see if your RSS feeds pop. In WordPress, you can change this part of the header.php file.
41. Offer a comments feed. If you have an active community of readers who often engage in discussions on the comments section of your blog, you might consider offering an RSS feed of the comments.
42. Category of supply powers. If you have many categories on your blog, you could offer an RSS feed for each of them individually. This would allow visitors who are only interested in specific topics to subscribe to them and not to the whole blog. At the same time, this granularity could increase the total number of RSS subscribers you have.
43. Perform regular checks on your feed. It is not uncommon to find blogs around the web with a broken RSS feed. Click on your feed occasionally to make sure the link is working, the power is in operation, and that it is a valid XML document.
44. Recover email subscribers unverified. You will notice that a good percentage of your subscribers e-mail will never confirm their subscription. Some are lazy, some just do not understand the process. This percentage can be increased up to 30%, so you could end up losing a lot of potential subscribers there. Fortunately, you can send your subscribers unverified and remind them of the problem. It works for some.
45. Leverage existing public or a blog. If you already have a blog, newsletter, forum, and so on popular Twitter account, you could leverage that presence to get new subscribers. The people who already follow you somewhere will have a higher chance of signing new blog to you, especially if they like your work or person.
46. Use the promotion of cross feed. Find some related blogs that have a similar RSS subscriber base, and propose the blogger to use a cross promotion deal of feed. That is, it promotes your blog on your feed footer, and promotes your blog on your feed footer.
47. Use testimonials on the "Subscribe". You have probably seen as most of the sales pages of products for the testimony of web usage, right? This is because a personal recommendation from a third goes a long way in convincing a prospect. If this is the case, why not use testimonials to get people to subscribe to your RSS feed?
48. Get friends to recommend your site and RSS feeds on their blog. Even harder to have a testimonial on the "Subscribe" is to have someone that you may want on your blog or website. Many of his readers will pay attention to the message and head over to your blog to see what the fuzz is about.
49. Do something funny or weird asking people to sign up. People love blogs with a sense of humor. If you can make people laugh, you took them halfway through subscription. A few months ago I published theHuge RSS Icon Experiment, and gained 300 new subscribers in 3 days.
50. Began a long series so people subscribe to keep updated with it. Long series of structured and places are not just magnets traffic, but also RSS readers magnets. If a casual visitor will discover that you are publishing a series on a topic that interests you on, think about subscribing in order not to lose the series of future posts.
Showing posts with label Blog Design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blog Design. Show all posts
Thursday, January 16, 2014
4 Steps to Increase Your Blog Traffic
One of the most common complaints I hear from bloggers is the fact that no matter how hard they try, they can not grow their blogs past about 100 pages a day lives. These first days are the hardest effect because you need to work hard without the certainty of achieving results.
If you are in the same situation, here is a simple strategy that will definitely increase traffic to your blog and make you break the 1,000 pageviews per day mark. In fact, the strategy could be used even if you are more than this number, but have reached a plateau of traffic lately.
Make sure to perform the four steps as planned and spend two and a half per day (obviously, if you have more time available, you can extend the time spent on each of the four steps proportionally) hours.
First step: killer products (1 hour per day)
Spend time thinking, researching and writing articles Killer (also known linkbaits, articles pillar and so on).
Note that your goal is to release a killer article every week. If this is not possible for an all purpose 15 days. Therefore, a time that you will spend each day will be devoted to the same room. In other words, expect killers articles to take 5 to 10 hours of work.
If you are not familiar with the term, a killer article is nothing more than a long article and structured to provide a huge amount of value to potential visitors aims. If you have a web design blog, for example, you could write an article with "100 Free Resources for designers." Here are some ideas for articles killer:
create a giant list of resources,
write a detailed teach people how to do something tutorial
find a solution to a common problem in your niche and write about it, or
write in-depth analysis on a topic where people spoke only superficially
When visitors come to your article killer, you want them to have the following reaction: "Holy crap this is awesome I'd better bookmark Heck, I even speak it better on my website and on my Twitter account!.. , let my readers and friends know about it. "
Second step: networking (30 minutes per day)
Networking is essential, especially when you're just starting. 30 minutes you'll spend all day could be distributed:
comments on other blogs in your niche,
connecting the posts of bloggers in your niche, and
interact with bloggers in your niche by e-mail, instant messaging or Twitter.
Remember that your goal is to build authentic relationships, so do not approach people just because you think they can help promote your blog. Approach them because you respect their work and because you think you two could grow together.
Step Three: Promotion (30 minutes per day)
The first activity here is the promotion of your articles killer. Every time you post one of them, you should push any way you can. Examples:
let people in your network know about it (do not beg for a link if)
bloggers and webmasters leave in niches involved know about it,
get some friends to submit the article on social bookmarking sites,
get some friends to Twitter the article,
display the article on the forums and / or discussion groups online.
If there is time, spend it with the search engine optimization, marketing and social media activities to promote your blog as a whole. These can vary from keyword research to promoting your blog on Facebook and guest blogging.
Step Four: Normal Messages (30 minutes per day)
Just as a man does not live by bread alone, a blog does not live by killer articles alone. Normal messages are those that you publish on your blog regularly between the killer articles. For example, you can publish an article killer every Monday and normal posts from Tuesday to Friday. Here are some ideas for normal messages:
post a link to an article on another blog and containing your opinion about it
a position to inform your readers on a new in your niche
a position to ask a question to your readers and to engage in a debate
a post highlighting a new resource or trick that you discovered and that would be useful to your readers
While killers articles are essential to promote your blog and bring new readers aboard, normal posts are the ones that create diversity in your content and keep your readers engaged.
If you are in the same situation, here is a simple strategy that will definitely increase traffic to your blog and make you break the 1,000 pageviews per day mark. In fact, the strategy could be used even if you are more than this number, but have reached a plateau of traffic lately.
Make sure to perform the four steps as planned and spend two and a half per day (obviously, if you have more time available, you can extend the time spent on each of the four steps proportionally) hours.
First step: killer products (1 hour per day)
Spend time thinking, researching and writing articles Killer (also known linkbaits, articles pillar and so on).
Note that your goal is to release a killer article every week. If this is not possible for an all purpose 15 days. Therefore, a time that you will spend each day will be devoted to the same room. In other words, expect killers articles to take 5 to 10 hours of work.
If you are not familiar with the term, a killer article is nothing more than a long article and structured to provide a huge amount of value to potential visitors aims. If you have a web design blog, for example, you could write an article with "100 Free Resources for designers." Here are some ideas for articles killer:
create a giant list of resources,
write a detailed teach people how to do something tutorial
find a solution to a common problem in your niche and write about it, or
write in-depth analysis on a topic where people spoke only superficially
When visitors come to your article killer, you want them to have the following reaction: "Holy crap this is awesome I'd better bookmark Heck, I even speak it better on my website and on my Twitter account!.. , let my readers and friends know about it. "
Second step: networking (30 minutes per day)
Networking is essential, especially when you're just starting. 30 minutes you'll spend all day could be distributed:
comments on other blogs in your niche,
connecting the posts of bloggers in your niche, and
interact with bloggers in your niche by e-mail, instant messaging or Twitter.
Remember that your goal is to build authentic relationships, so do not approach people just because you think they can help promote your blog. Approach them because you respect their work and because you think you two could grow together.
Step Three: Promotion (30 minutes per day)
The first activity here is the promotion of your articles killer. Every time you post one of them, you should push any way you can. Examples:
let people in your network know about it (do not beg for a link if)
bloggers and webmasters leave in niches involved know about it,
get some friends to submit the article on social bookmarking sites,
get some friends to Twitter the article,
display the article on the forums and / or discussion groups online.
If there is time, spend it with the search engine optimization, marketing and social media activities to promote your blog as a whole. These can vary from keyword research to promoting your blog on Facebook and guest blogging.
Step Four: Normal Messages (30 minutes per day)
Just as a man does not live by bread alone, a blog does not live by killer articles alone. Normal messages are those that you publish on your blog regularly between the killer articles. For example, you can publish an article killer every Monday and normal posts from Tuesday to Friday. Here are some ideas for normal messages:
post a link to an article on another blog and containing your opinion about it
a position to inform your readers on a new in your niche
a position to ask a question to your readers and to engage in a debate
a post highlighting a new resource or trick that you discovered and that would be useful to your readers
While killers articles are essential to promote your blog and bring new readers aboard, normal posts are the ones that create diversity in your content and keep your readers engaged.
Choosing a Blog Designer
If you're thinking about hiring someone to work on your blog, these two factors are probably foremost in your mind:
1. Cost- What is your budget?
2. Design- What are you wanting your blog to look like?
These are the most important things to consider before choosing a designer. If you are like me, though, and hate to part with your money unless you are getting exactly what you pay for, you may want to do a little more research.
Questions to ask a potential blog designer (or look up in their FAQ/policy section)
1. Will I be able to easily make changes to my blog when you are finished? If I need to add extra blog components (custom sidebar titles, link in nav bar, sidebar photo, photo added to slideshow, etc.) or need to make changes to one at a later date, how much will it cost?
2. How long will my makeover take? When can you get started?
3. How much control will I have over the makeover process? Will I be able to view a test blog and approve the makeover before it is installed? Some blog designers ask that you fill out a design worksheet, then they do the work and present you with a finished product. Others have you fill out the design info and email back and forth with you to create the look you desire.
4. Do you give refunds? Most designers do not.
5. Do I have to display your button on my blog after my makeover? Linked credit to the designer of the blog as well as the creator of the images (design kit) used to create the new look must remain on the blog for as long as the images are used. Some blog designers will allow you to use their designs without credit for an extra fee.
6. Does the makeover price include design images? Some designers design their own images for use on their makeovers. Most designers work with digital scrapbooking kits (also called design kits) or istock/getty images to create their designs. Some designers are able to use design images on their customers' blogs at no extra charge, however, most designers are required to purchase a new design kit/images for each customer in order to stay on good terms with their digital designers. This cost will be tacked on to your order total.
I'm sure you will have more questions than the ones listed above. Ask them! :)
Helpful Hints
1. Cost- What is your budget?
2. Design- What are you wanting your blog to look like?
These are the most important things to consider before choosing a designer. If you are like me, though, and hate to part with your money unless you are getting exactly what you pay for, you may want to do a little more research.
Questions to ask a potential blog designer (or look up in their FAQ/policy section)
1. Will I be able to easily make changes to my blog when you are finished? If I need to add extra blog components (custom sidebar titles, link in nav bar, sidebar photo, photo added to slideshow, etc.) or need to make changes to one at a later date, how much will it cost?
2. How long will my makeover take? When can you get started?
3. How much control will I have over the makeover process? Will I be able to view a test blog and approve the makeover before it is installed? Some blog designers ask that you fill out a design worksheet, then they do the work and present you with a finished product. Others have you fill out the design info and email back and forth with you to create the look you desire.
4. Do you give refunds? Most designers do not.
5. Do I have to display your button on my blog after my makeover? Linked credit to the designer of the blog as well as the creator of the images (design kit) used to create the new look must remain on the blog for as long as the images are used. Some blog designers will allow you to use their designs without credit for an extra fee.
6. Does the makeover price include design images? Some designers design their own images for use on their makeovers. Most designers work with digital scrapbooking kits (also called design kits) or istock/getty images to create their designs. Some designers are able to use design images on their customers' blogs at no extra charge, however, most designers are required to purchase a new design kit/images for each customer in order to stay on good terms with their digital designers. This cost will be tacked on to your order total.
I'm sure you will have more questions than the ones listed above. Ask them! :)
Helpful Hints
- Choose someone that you feel comfortable with. You will be communicating with the designer a lot throughout the makeover process. Trust your instincts. If you get a bad feeling after your initial email with a potential designer, I would go with someone else. There are so many great designers out there. Why settle?
- Choose a designer who is highly recommended by others. Most people are so excited about their makeover that they can't wait to share their experience with others. Doing a search for 'makeover' on their blog will most likely lead you to a post written about the blog designer that they used. If you can't find a post, just ask! I'll bet they would be more than happy to share their experience with you.
- Do your research! Don't choose a designer because they are cheaper than others based on cost alone. There are several talented, new designers out there who offer cheaper prices because they are looking to build their portfolios. Designers who have a lot of experience tend to be more expensive. Their prices are higher because they are highly recommended by their customers and there is a demand for their services. Either way you choose to go, do not turn your blog over to anyone before doing a little comparison shopping!
- Make sure that you completely understand the designer's terms/policy and like the work in their portfolio before making any type of payment. Most payments are nonrefundable.
Text and Link Colors
This is a beginner tutorial that teaches how to change the colors of a blog using Blogger's easy to use 'fonts and colors' feature. It will also show you to where to find custom colors and how to put them on your blog.
***Disclaimer: If your blog has had some design work done to it, you may be unable to use Blogger's fonts and colors page to make changes to your blog.
There is a way to make these changes within the HTML of your template and most designers prefer to make changes that way. I think it's much easier to utilize the fonts and colors tool for color changes when redesigning a blog, but that's just me. :) ***
So, let's begin!
Go to your dashboard-->layout-->fonts and colors.
Important: Be sure to PREVIEW before clicking on SAVE. Below the 'fonts and colors' choices is a preview of your blog. Make sure you like what you see before saving.
To make a color change:
1. Click on a section below page elements (refer to red arrow in image below).
2. Click on a new color from the color palettes on the right.
3. Once you select a color, scroll down to see a preview of what your blog looks like with the color change (refer to orange arrow in image below).
4. If you like what you see in the preview, click 'save'. If not, select a new color or return to the previous color. If your previous color is not there, simply click on 'clear edits'.
For example, if I wanted to make the background of my blog black instead of white, I would:
1. Click on the fonts and colors tab (dashboard-->layout-->fonts and colors).
2. Click on the box that says 'Page Background Color' (beneath the red arrow in image above)
3. Click on the color black (on the right, with all of the other colors)
4. Scroll down to see if I like the way it looks in the preview (beneath orange arrow in the above image)
5. If I like it, I will save. If I do not, I will simply select white again to revert back to my previous color or select a new one. As long as you do not click on SAVE, no changes will be made to your blog.
********************************************************************
Don't care for the colors that Blogger offers in the color palettes?
That's where that little box labeled 'edit color hex code' (boxed in yellow above) comes in.
In that little box is a # sign and six numbers. I could really get into what each number means and all that jazz, but I think you'd rather me just get to the good stuff. What you need to know is that every color has a six digit hex code.
If you know a color's hex code, you can type it into the nifty little box, hit enter, and poof! It will change the color of the item that you have selected from the list on the left.
Well, where do you go to find those codes? There are so many people out there who LOVE working with code and such. They are more than happy to share this information with you for free, via their websites. :)
The following is a list of sites with color charts that you can use:
http://www.december.com/html/spec/colorhex.html
http://www.webmonkey.com/reference/Color_Charts
http://www.htmlgoodies.com/tutorials/colors/article.php/3478961
Google 'hex code color charts' and you'll find even more color codes! If you have made the switch to a Firefox browser, you can also use a cool program called ColorZilla to create custom colors.
Simply find the color you want to use and copy its code. Then open up your fonts and colors page, erase the characters in the box, and paste in the new code. Don't forget the # sign at the beginning!
***Disclaimer: If your blog has had some design work done to it, you may be unable to use Blogger's fonts and colors page to make changes to your blog.
There is a way to make these changes within the HTML of your template and most designers prefer to make changes that way. I think it's much easier to utilize the fonts and colors tool for color changes when redesigning a blog, but that's just me. :) ***
So, let's begin!
Go to your dashboard-->layout-->fonts and colors.
Important: Be sure to PREVIEW before clicking on SAVE. Below the 'fonts and colors' choices is a preview of your blog. Make sure you like what you see before saving.
To make a color change:
1. Click on a section below page elements (refer to red arrow in image below).
2. Click on a new color from the color palettes on the right.
3. Once you select a color, scroll down to see a preview of what your blog looks like with the color change (refer to orange arrow in image below).
4. If you like what you see in the preview, click 'save'. If not, select a new color or return to the previous color. If your previous color is not there, simply click on 'clear edits'.
For example, if I wanted to make the background of my blog black instead of white, I would:
1. Click on the fonts and colors tab (dashboard-->layout-->fonts and colors).
2. Click on the box that says 'Page Background Color' (beneath the red arrow in image above)
3. Click on the color black (on the right, with all of the other colors)
4. Scroll down to see if I like the way it looks in the preview (beneath orange arrow in the above image)
5. If I like it, I will save. If I do not, I will simply select white again to revert back to my previous color or select a new one. As long as you do not click on SAVE, no changes will be made to your blog.
********************************************************************
Don't care for the colors that Blogger offers in the color palettes?
That's where that little box labeled 'edit color hex code' (boxed in yellow above) comes in.
In that little box is a # sign and six numbers. I could really get into what each number means and all that jazz, but I think you'd rather me just get to the good stuff. What you need to know is that every color has a six digit hex code.
If you know a color's hex code, you can type it into the nifty little box, hit enter, and poof! It will change the color of the item that you have selected from the list on the left.
Well, where do you go to find those codes? There are so many people out there who LOVE working with code and such. They are more than happy to share this information with you for free, via their websites. :)
The following is a list of sites with color charts that you can use:
http://www.december.com/html/spec/colorhex.html
http://www.webmonkey.com/reference/Color_Charts
http://www.htmlgoodies.com/tutorials/colors/article.php/3478961
Google 'hex code color charts' and you'll find even more color codes! If you have made the switch to a Firefox browser, you can also use a cool program called ColorZilla to create custom colors.
Simply find the color you want to use and copy its code. Then open up your fonts and colors page, erase the characters in the box, and paste in the new code. Don't forget the # sign at the beginning!
Backing Up Your Blog
I used to have a blog that I used as a journal. It was visible only to me. I detailed my feelings, everything. It was a gem of a blog, something that I seriously thought I may make public someday to help others who needed encouragement. It was a good read, one that I worked hard on.
One day, I decided to change the labels on my posts. Not good, not good at all. I ended up accidentally deleting 75% of my blog. The only posts that remained were the ones that I wrote at the very beginning of my journey. I was crushed.
Recently, I was excited to learn that there is a very simple way to backup your blog posts on Blogger. Using this feature will backup all of your current posts and comments into a file, which you can save on your computer. If something horrible happens and you lose your posts, you can import the posts that you saved into a new blog or your existing one. How cool is that?
Go to Settings-->Export Blog-->Download Blog--> Save
To restore your posts:
Go to Settings-->Import Blog-->Find the document you exported-->Import Blog. The first time I did this, it took well over an hour. I had 190 posts and a not-fast-but-not-dial-up internet connection. I ended up just closing the application. When I opened the blog, though, all 190 posts were there. Cool. It now takes me less than five minutes to back up my blog with my faster connection.
Once the file has been exported, click on it and make sure that it contains your posts. Your photos will not visible in this file. You will need to import it to a practice blog to see if they are there.
When you export your blog, it only exports the posts that have already been written. It will not continue to save future posts. You will periodically have to do this if you want to backup your newer posts. This feature only works for posts. It will not save your design elements, your header, or template. Just your posts.
One day, I decided to change the labels on my posts. Not good, not good at all. I ended up accidentally deleting 75% of my blog. The only posts that remained were the ones that I wrote at the very beginning of my journey. I was crushed.
Recently, I was excited to learn that there is a very simple way to backup your blog posts on Blogger. Using this feature will backup all of your current posts and comments into a file, which you can save on your computer. If something horrible happens and you lose your posts, you can import the posts that you saved into a new blog or your existing one. How cool is that?
IMPORTANT: Be careful not to click on "Delete blog" as it is right next to the import and export links.
To backup your posts:Go to Settings-->Export Blog-->Download Blog--> Save
To restore your posts:
Go to Settings-->Import Blog-->Find the document you exported-->Import Blog. The first time I did this, it took well over an hour. I had 190 posts and a not-fast-but-not-dial-up internet connection. I ended up just closing the application. When I opened the blog, though, all 190 posts were there. Cool. It now takes me less than five minutes to back up my blog with my faster connection.
Once the file has been exported, click on it and make sure that it contains your posts. Your photos will not visible in this file. You will need to import it to a practice blog to see if they are there.
When you export your blog, it only exports the posts that have already been written. It will not continue to save future posts. You will periodically have to do this if you want to backup your newer posts. This feature only works for posts. It will not save your design elements, your header, or template. Just your posts.
Scheduling Posts
Many of you have figured this out by now, but I'm sure there are a handful of you out there who don't know that you can schedule a post to publish at a later date. Scheduling a post every now and then may prove to be very helpful to you.
To schedule a post:
1. Write your post.
2. Proofread it.
3. Click on Save Now.
4. Click on Post Options (located at the bottom of the 'edit post' page. Circled in blue below.)
5. Enter in the time and date that you would like your post published (circled in red above).
6. Click Publish Post.
7. Check that your post is set to be scheduled at the right time and date.
8. Your post will publish automatically at that date and time. Too cool!
You can also change the dates of old posts, too.
Happy Blogging! :)
To schedule a post:
1. Write your post.
2. Proofread it.
3. Click on Save Now.
4. Click on Post Options (located at the bottom of the 'edit post' page. Circled in blue below.)
5. Enter in the time and date that you would like your post published (circled in red above).
6. Click Publish Post.
7. Check that your post is set to be scheduled at the right time and date.
8. Your post will publish automatically at that date and time. Too cool!
You can also change the dates of old posts, too.
Happy Blogging! :)
Sidebar Photo Customization
Have you ever wanted to put a centered photo in your sidebar? Would you like to be able to put a larger photo in your sidebar than Blogger's picture gadget will allow? On most blogs, the photo gadget will automatically resize your photo and make it left-aligned. Drives me crazy!
This tutorial will show you how to resize your photo to fit the space in your sidebar so that you can get an HTML code for it. Once you have this code, you will be able to upload your photo as an HTML/Javascript gadget instead of having to be restricted by the photo gadget. More control = better customization = beautiful blogs!
The first thing you'll need is an html code for your image. A lot of online photo storage places provide html codes for images that are uploaded to their site. I like to use Photobucket, as it's what I am most familiar with. If your photos are uploaded elsewhere, I suggest checking to see if you can get the html codes for them before proceeding with this tutorial.
How to upload a photo to make it fit your sidebar:
1. Create an account at Photobucket.com if you do not already have one. It's free!
2. Upload your photo as a 320x240 image.
(click on the photos in this tutorial to enlarge)
3. Once the photo has uploaded, return to the album and hover over the thumbnail of the photo. Click on 'edit'. Then click on 'resize'.
5. Check the box next to 'keep porportions'. Then enter a number into the first box that is about 5-10px less than the width of your sidebar.
To determine the width of your sidebar:
a. Log into your blog and go to edit html.
b. Scroll down and search for the section titled 'sidebar wrapper'. Click here for tip on how to easily search for sections within your template.
c. Look for the width measurement (circled in red below). If your template does not look like this, you'll need to hunt around for this number or simply take a guess. Most sidebars are 175-220px wide. The sidebar in the example below is very wide. Important: do not change anything within your template. You are just looking for the measurement of your sidebar.
7. Click 'apply', then click on 'save as a copy' below the image. You can replace the original if you'd like, but it sometimes takes original PB images a while to resize. Better to save as a copy to avoid frustration.
How To Install A Sidebar Photo From Photobucket:
1.. Go to your Page Elements page and click on 'add a gadget'.
2. Select HTML/Javascript. Paste the html code of the photo into the large box. Center it, if you wish. Can't find the html code for your photo? Click here for help.
That's it! Enjoy your new sidebar photos! Do you get html codes for your images in a different way? Please share your method with us in the comment section below!
This tutorial will show you how to resize your photo to fit the space in your sidebar so that you can get an HTML code for it. Once you have this code, you will be able to upload your photo as an HTML/Javascript gadget instead of having to be restricted by the photo gadget. More control = better customization = beautiful blogs!
The first thing you'll need is an html code for your image. A lot of online photo storage places provide html codes for images that are uploaded to their site. I like to use Photobucket, as it's what I am most familiar with. If your photos are uploaded elsewhere, I suggest checking to see if you can get the html codes for them before proceeding with this tutorial.
How to upload a photo to make it fit your sidebar:
1. Create an account at Photobucket.com if you do not already have one. It's free!
2. Upload your photo as a 320x240 image.
(click on the photos in this tutorial to enlarge)
3. Once the photo has uploaded, return to the album and hover over the thumbnail of the photo. Click on 'edit'. Then click on 'resize'.
5. Check the box next to 'keep porportions'. Then enter a number into the first box that is about 5-10px less than the width of your sidebar.
To determine the width of your sidebar:
a. Log into your blog and go to edit html.
b. Scroll down and search for the section titled 'sidebar wrapper'. Click here for tip on how to easily search for sections within your template.
c. Look for the width measurement (circled in red below). If your template does not look like this, you'll need to hunt around for this number or simply take a guess. Most sidebars are 175-220px wide. The sidebar in the example below is very wide. Important: do not change anything within your template. You are just looking for the measurement of your sidebar.
7. Click 'apply', then click on 'save as a copy' below the image. You can replace the original if you'd like, but it sometimes takes original PB images a while to resize. Better to save as a copy to avoid frustration.
How To Install A Sidebar Photo From Photobucket:
1.. Go to your Page Elements page and click on 'add a gadget'.
2. Select HTML/Javascript. Paste the html code of the photo into the large box. Center it, if you wish. Can't find the html code for your photo? Click here for help.
That's it! Enjoy your new sidebar photos! Do you get html codes for your images in a different way? Please share your method with us in the comment section below!
Adding a Signature to Your Posts
There are several sites out there in which you can get a free signature for your blog posts. My Live Signature is my favorite. Check here to check it out! They make it very simple to make and install personalized signatures, like the top signature at the bottom of this post.
*These signatures work best with a light colored background, preferably white. *
When you have created your signature and have reached the 'Finished! The signature is ready.' page:
1. Click on 'Want to use this signature?' at the bottom above the ads.
2. Click on 'Generate HTML code'.
3. Click on 'Generate a code for my handwritten signature'
4. Highlight the code in the box and press CTRL+C on your keyboard.
5. Open your blog's layout page in a new tab or window.
6. Click on Settings--->Formatting.
7. Scroll down to where you see the Post Template box and paste the code (CTRL+V) into it.
8. Click on Save Settings.
When you create a new post, you should see your new signature sitting all nice and pretty up at the top. Make sure you write your post ABOVE the signature.
There are two signatures at the bottom of this post. The one on top was made by following this tip. The one on bottom is built into my template and was custom created on PSE7. I can create a built-in, custom signature using a font from Kevin and Amanda for you for $5. Leave a comment with your request and your email address and I will contact you soon.
*These signatures work best with a light colored background, preferably white. *
When you have created your signature and have reached the 'Finished! The signature is ready.' page:
1. Click on 'Want to use this signature?' at the bottom above the ads.
2. Click on 'Generate HTML code'.
3. Click on 'Generate a code for my handwritten signature'
4. Highlight the code in the box and press CTRL+C on your keyboard.
5. Open your blog's layout page in a new tab or window.
6. Click on Settings--->Formatting.
7. Scroll down to where you see the Post Template box and paste the code (CTRL+V) into it.
8. Click on Save Settings.
When you create a new post, you should see your new signature sitting all nice and pretty up at the top. Make sure you write your post ABOVE the signature.
There are two signatures at the bottom of this post. The one on top was made by following this tip. The one on bottom is built into my template and was custom created on PSE7. I can create a built-in, custom signature using a font from Kevin and Amanda for you for $5. Leave a comment with your request and your email address and I will contact you soon.
Spacing Within Posts
Blogger, how do I love thee? You give me a blogging home in a user-friendly environment...most of the time.
One thing that really bothered me as a beginning blogger was how I would write a post, hitting enter to put lovely spaces in between all of my paragraphs, only to hit publish and see half of them all scrunched up together.
Not cool.
I would spend the next half hour, trying to figure it all out. I would have limited success, but never knew what I had done to make the spacing look the way I wanted it to. I tried clicking on dashboard-->settings-->formatting and changing to yes or no in the 'convert line breaks' box. I just couldn't get it.
It drove me batty!
I finally figured out a solution to my problem. I started writing my posts in the Microsoft Works word processor program on my computer and pasting them into a new post. Here's how:
When I was a beginner, I did it the word processor way in order to make sure I didn't delete anything within my posts that I didn't want to. I would suggest that anyone who is intimidated by HTML to simply follow the numbered directions above for stress-free, perfectly spaced posts. :)
One thing that really bothered me as a beginning blogger was how I would write a post, hitting enter to put lovely spaces in between all of my paragraphs, only to hit publish and see half of them all scrunched up together.
Not cool.
I would spend the next half hour, trying to figure it all out. I would have limited success, but never knew what I had done to make the spacing look the way I wanted it to. I tried clicking on dashboard-->settings-->formatting and changing to yes or no in the 'convert line breaks' box. I just couldn't get it.
It drove me batty!
I finally figured out a solution to my problem. I started writing my posts in the Microsoft Works word processor program on my computer and pasting them into a new post. Here's how:
- Write your post in Microsoft Works (or Word), making sure to include the spaces in between paragraphs exactly where you would like them.
- Highlight and copy it (ctrl + c).
- Open a new post.
- Click on the Edit HTML tab and paste the post into it (ctrl + v).
- Click on 'Compose'.
- Add your links, color changes, and photos if desired. Click here for info on how to move photos from the top of the post.
- Preview. If you like what you see, click save.
- Voila! Spaces where they should be!
When I was a beginner, I did it the word processor way in order to make sure I didn't delete anything within my posts that I didn't want to. I would suggest that anyone who is intimidated by HTML to simply follow the numbered directions above for stress-free, perfectly spaced posts. :)
Post Tweets on Your Blog
Got a Twitter account? This tutorial will show you how to get the nifty little gadget above for the sidebar of your blog. Click on any of the images below to enlarge and open in a new window.
To get the Twitter gadget for your blog:
1. Log into your Twitter account.
2. Click on 'goodies' at the very bottom:
3. Click on 'widgets':
4. Click on 'my website':
5. Click on 'profile widget':
6. Enter your Twitter username (no spaces!) if it is not already in the box:
7. Click on 'preferences' and select what you would like to show up on your gadget:
Click on 'test settings' to preview.
8. Click on 'appearances' and play around to your heart's desire:
9. Click on 'dimensions' and set the width to about 5px less than the width of your sidebar. If you do not know the width of your sidebar, check the 'auto width' box:
You may have to come back to this step if the gadget does not fit well. Most sidebars are less than 200px wide, so I would start there first. Make the length as long as you want it.
10. Click on 'test settings' to make sure you're happy with the finished product. If not, go back to steps 7 and 8 and adjust the settings. You will not be able to see the width of the actual gadget in the preview.
11. When you are happy with the gadget, click on 'finish and grab code'.
12. Click on the add to Blogger button and follow the directions to select the blog you want the gadget to appear on. Then click on 'add widget'. You can also copy the html code and paste it into a html/javascript gadget, if you prefer:
13. Once it appears, you can add click on 'edit' and add centering tags to center it if you'd like. Click here for help on centering sidebar gadgets. You can drag the gadget to wherever you want it on your Page Elements page.
Did you know that I send out tweets every time I publish a new post? Click here to follow me on Twitter!
To get the Twitter gadget for your blog:
1. Log into your Twitter account.
2. Click on 'goodies' at the very bottom:
3. Click on 'widgets':
4. Click on 'my website':
5. Click on 'profile widget':
6. Enter your Twitter username (no spaces!) if it is not already in the box:
7. Click on 'preferences' and select what you would like to show up on your gadget:
8. Click on 'appearances' and play around to your heart's desire:
9. Click on 'dimensions' and set the width to about 5px less than the width of your sidebar. If you do not know the width of your sidebar, check the 'auto width' box:
You may have to come back to this step if the gadget does not fit well. Most sidebars are less than 200px wide, so I would start there first. Make the length as long as you want it.
10. Click on 'test settings' to make sure you're happy with the finished product. If not, go back to steps 7 and 8 and adjust the settings. You will not be able to see the width of the actual gadget in the preview.
11. When you are happy with the gadget, click on 'finish and grab code'.
12. Click on the add to Blogger button and follow the directions to select the blog you want the gadget to appear on. Then click on 'add widget'. You can also copy the html code and paste it into a html/javascript gadget, if you prefer:
13. Once it appears, you can add click on 'edit' and add centering tags to center it if you'd like. Click here for help on centering sidebar gadgets. You can drag the gadget to wherever you want it on your Page Elements page.
Did you know that I send out tweets every time I publish a new post? Click here to follow me on Twitter!
Add Marquee Slideshow to Blog Sidebar
You know Slideshow is one of the popular widgets loved by most people. You can use a slider to show your popular posts, products or services. I shared two cool slideshow for blogger. Now I'm single action Marquee slideshow to show off your hot products or messages in the sidebar. I mean, the Marquee Slideshow best suites in the box. Here only the code simple tent is used. So it's super fast loading and you can easily customize.
How to add Sldeshow in Blog
Blogger: Blogger To add the following code into an HTML / JavaScript Gadget where you want to add the cursor.
Wordpress: Wordpress users can also use this Sldeshow. To do this, go to Appearance >> Widgets >> Add a text widget in the sidebar >> Insert the code below into the text box >> Save. Done.
<br />
<div id="ot-slide">
<marquee bgcolor="#fff" direction="up" height="200" onmouseout="start();" onmouseover="stop();" scrollamount="5" scrolldelay="10" width="300">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/Post%20Link" target="_blank">
<img alt="" height="150" src="Image-Link" width="300" /></a>
<h4 align="center">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/Title%20Link1" target="_blank">Title text 1</a></h4>
<div align="center">
Your post description goes here...</div>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/Post%20Link" target="_blank">
<img alt="" height="150" src="Image-Link" width="300" /></a>
<h4 align="center">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/Title%20Link2" target="_blank">Title text 2</a></h4>
<div align="center">
Your post description goes here...</div>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/Post%20Link" target="_blank">
<img alt="" height="150" src="Image-Link" width="300" /></a>
<h4 align="center">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/Title%20Link3" target="_blank">Title text 3</a></h4>
<div align="center">
Your post description goes here...</div>
</marquee>
</div>
Customization:
I kept slider width 300px and height 200px. You can change it as you like. Add post or product link where it says Post Link and image link where reads Image-Link. Change the scrollamount value, to fasten the speed of scrolling. Thank you. Please comment and share your views if you like the post.
How to add Sldeshow in Blog
Blogger: Blogger To add the following code into an HTML / JavaScript Gadget where you want to add the cursor.
Wordpress: Wordpress users can also use this Sldeshow. To do this, go to Appearance >> Widgets >> Add a text widget in the sidebar >> Insert the code below into the text box >> Save. Done.
<br />
<div id="ot-slide">
<marquee bgcolor="#fff" direction="up" height="200" onmouseout="start();" onmouseover="stop();" scrollamount="5" scrolldelay="10" width="300">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/Post%20Link" target="_blank">
<img alt="" height="150" src="Image-Link" width="300" /></a>
<h4 align="center">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/Title%20Link1" target="_blank">Title text 1</a></h4>
<div align="center">
Your post description goes here...</div>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/Post%20Link" target="_blank">
<img alt="" height="150" src="Image-Link" width="300" /></a>
<h4 align="center">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/Title%20Link2" target="_blank">Title text 2</a></h4>
<div align="center">
Your post description goes here...</div>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/Post%20Link" target="_blank">
<img alt="" height="150" src="Image-Link" width="300" /></a>
<h4 align="center">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/Title%20Link3" target="_blank">Title text 3</a></h4>
<div align="center">
Your post description goes here...</div>
</marquee>
</div>
Customization:
I kept slider width 300px and height 200px. You can change it as you like. Add post or product link where it says Post Link and image link where reads Image-Link. Change the scrollamount value, to fasten the speed of scrolling. Thank you. Please comment and share your views if you like the post.
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