The Google Alert for Post Ideas

What is the most challenging part of blogging for you?  For me, it's finding content that will stand out from the other one billion posts published on on the same subject.  If you can relate, let me introduce you to Google Alerts.  It's a great tool that allows you to receive notifications on a particular search query providing you with the most current and relevant search results on Google.  In other words, if you'd like to receive notifications on social media, you would type social media in the search query box, choose your result type, how often you'd like to receive these notifications, and how many results you'd like to receive.  Google Alerts gives you two ways to receive this information. One is to your email address, the other is to your feed.  For a great tutorial on how to use Google Alerts, I recommend this article on wikiHow.

How to make a post gallery for your sidebar!

Hello readers of Cropped Stories! I'm Alicia and I blog over at A Sweet Fragrance. My family and I are American-born but live as expats over in SE Asia. I blog about our life overseas, recipes I attempt to make while substituting lots of ingredients, projects I do around the house, "tot school" lessons I teach to my toddler, and lessons I learn through parenting and walking with the Lord. I hope you'll stop by my blog for a visit!

Just before the year 2013 came to an end, I decided I wanted to redesign my blog. I had a picture of what I wanted for the new design in my head but getting that design to appear on my blog required turning my thoughts into HTML coding.

8 Hidden Blogging Mistakes

If you have been blogging for a while, you are probably aware of the basic rules of the game, like using good images, posting regularly, and promoting content on social media. However, there are often little things we overlook as bloggers that can make a big difference to both the stats and audience engagement. I have compiled this list of hidden mistakes bloggers make based on my own observations, as I make it a point to visit at least a couple of new blogs every week. Some may never have crossed your minds, and others you may not have considered of much relevance. Either way, these tips require little effort and will only bring positive results!

 

1. Not customizing your Tweet button

If you want to keep track of who has been sharing your posts on Twitter, it is important to have your twitter handle (or username) in that tweet. Usually, when your readers click on the 'Tweet' button, they will be directed to publish a tweet which has your post title and link. Sometimes, it will have the Twitter handle of the share service provider such as @sharethis or @wordpressdotcom. The problem with this is that you are none the wiser when a post of yours has been shared on Twitter, unless you have access to stats. Even then it's hard to pin every single tweet down. By adding your own handle, you will be immediately notified of the mention, allowing you to re-tweet or thank the user if you wish. In order to add your handle, simply check the support pages of your sharing service. To my knowledge, all of them allow you to customize your tweet buttons. It's a simple thing that can help you gauge your content’’s popularity on Twitter!

 

How to increase your blog traffic and make new friends!

Hope you don’t mind if I get right down to the nitty gritty!  Feel free to grab a cup of coffee (or tea) and make yourself comfortable.  I have some good tips for you today!

INCREASE YOUR BLOG TRAFFIC WITH THESE 11 TIPS

1. LINK UP TO BLOG HOPS but participate with CAUTION!  Before you move on, please read Blog Hops and Facebook (have you read Facebook’s terms)?  I can’t stress this one enough!  They are the best tool out there for bloggers to meet new people with similar interests.  Most blog hops require you to follow the hosts and co-hosts, then you’re on your own.  You are able to follow the sites you like and in return they’ll follow you back.  It’s that simple!  It’s a great way to drive traffic to your blog, increase your following and social media contacts.  Feel free to visit my Link Ups Page for a list of active Blog Hops!