Stickytapeandstring

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Blog progress #6

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Hello and welcome to my August update.    Note – this post is focussed on my progress as a blogger – if you are here for the crochet please visit the craft projects section of my  blog!

It feels like I have been able to make some real progress this month as I was on holiday from my full time day job for a week or so.     I will include my stats for August compared to July at the bottom of the post.    But the key headline is that traffic to my site has more than tripled in the month.   Here is how I did it:

Actions taken to drive blog traffic

Write new, relevant content – One post I wrote early in the month grabbed the attention out there on Pinterest and I had two or three very exciting days where traffic to my site increased.   This also had a lasting impact as I acquired new followers on Pinterest.   As I had more time available this month I was able to write a new free pattern which again drove additional traffic to my site.   There are lots of actions you can take to drive traffic but having solid content makes it all so much easier.

I used the power of Pinterest –  I use Tailwind to manage this for me but also pin manually from my daily commute.   I am an affiliate for Tailwind so if you click on links on my blog to explore Tailwind that could generate a small payment to me at no additional cost to you.   However, that is not why I am recommending this tool.   Tailwind is a great way to maintain regular pinning, especially if, like me, you work full time and have to cram all your blogging into the weekends and evenings.    The reason I recommend it is simple.   I could not do without it.

I started with the free version but I now pay for a higher level of membership.    I am a member of five active tribes within Tailwind.     These are groups of people who are pinning in the same interest groups.    I post every new pin I write to the relevant tribe which then means that other tribe members see it and if I am lucky they add it to their scheduled pins.   Some of the members of the tribe have many more followers than I do so if I am lucky and one of my pins is selected by a tribe member with a big following it can really help!

Every Sunday I get my Tailwind schedule loaded up with my own pins and pins from other members of the tribes I belong to.    I can schedule pins for a couple of weeks or more but generally only set up one week at a time.    My Pinterest following is growing steadily.    This drives much of the traffic to my blog, and I am sure that this is in no small part down to Tailwind.

I Got started on Instagram – (with the assistance of my children!).   August was my first month on Instagram.   I found it really easy to find like minded people on this platform.   I also found it much easier to share work in progress quickly.    The format is based more heavily on images and there is no click through option so you only need a photo of your work and a few lines of text.

You need to set up a business account which gives you access to insights and stats on how your posts are doing.    This also enables you to include a link to your blog on your profile page.   You get information on how many profile visits you have had in the last seven days.   Those are important because those visits have been to the page that has your blog link and could have driven traffic.

You get an immediate response when you put new material up which is lovely and you can ask for views/opinions which can be helpful.     I haven’t explored the ‘story’ side of Instagram yet.   It is on my do list because I understand you can set up links to your blog from your story.    I can see my blog traffic increase when I gain new followers and put up new content.

Invested more time in Facebook – I had a Facebook account but hadn’t really had chance to use it.    This month I started to get involved in blogger support groups.   If you search for groups in your niche to join on Facebook they will all have their own set of rules you need to follow.   Find groups that fit your needs that have rules you can buy into and put in an application.   It really is worth while spending time on this.   There is so much support and help out there and you will find you can help others too which keeps it all going.     I started working on Facebook late in the month so didn’t see much impact as of yet.   I plan to spend a lot more time on Facebook in September.


So that has been my month!   Here is the impact.

Blog Progress Report – August 18

  • Pinterest followers – 770 (up 67 this month
  • Instagram followers – 313 (up 313 this month!)
  • AdSense clicks – 11 (up 5 this month)
  • AdSense income to date – £1.59 (down £0.23 this month after one really well paid click in July!)
  • Amazon affiliate income – 0
  • Shareasale income – 0    (Tailwind affiliate links)
  • Subscribers – 14 (an increase of 11 :-))
  • Etsy listings – 10
  • Etsy sales – 0
  • Page views – 2,178 (up 1,588 this month!)

I am delighted with progress but worried that it has been a blip that will be hard to maintain…. tune in next month to find out.    Happy blogging!

Annie 🙂

Blog progress #5

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Hello and welcome to my (definitely not weekly) update!     The last time I posted on progress with my blog was mid June.   Since then my day job took over and I haven’t really been able to put out new content.    I have been finding ways to spend what bit of time I had profitably though.   This post covers what I have learned.   At the bottom of the post I will share my progress for July 18 and going forward I plan to share monthly.   Please note – this is an update on the process of running and developing my blog rather than on the crochet side.    For crochet updates and patterns – please check out the craft projects area of my blog! 🙂

How to keep up blog progress when you have NO time!   10 ideas below.

It takes a long time to craft a blog post.   At least, it takes ME a long time to craft a blog post.   Maybe some of you have them tripping off your fingers and all the technical tweaks and twiddles just glide through in your world….. mine is more of a struggle.    Write, read back, edit, read back, scrap and start again, write, read back repeat….  then once I have a post I am more or less happy with…. time spent fighting with the idiosyncrasies of the technical side to post and promote the work.   I could go on – but basically I need a good few hours of clear time to be able to put up a post.    Usually this is a weekend task but there are times when my weekends are just too full.    I have the odd fifteen minutes here and there but no solid block of time.    The list below covers what I have found to be the best uses of these short bursts of time.    These are also the things I do when I am out of inspiration for a new blog post.


Brainstorm ideas for future posts.   You can do this whenever, wherever – as long as it is safe to let your mind wander.  Always carry a notebook!

Take photographs.   Keep an eye out for useful shots.  It doesn’t matter if they are not perfect – you can always crop them and focus on just a small element of a larger shot.   They could give you ideas for a future, more professional shot.

Keep up on social media.   Do you promote your blog on all social media sites?   Does one work better for you than others?  If you are travelling or have a short break in your day.   Make sure you are set up to use social media on your phone and put in any time you have building your network and engaging with your potential audience.

Keep on top of email and comments.   It doesn’t take long to respond to individual emails or comments.   However, if you let them build up it can feel like a big task.  It should be fun/exciting when you get contact from your followers.   Feedback is also a potential generator of ideas for posts so again – keep your notebook handy!

Read other blogs in your niche area and consider what appeals to you.   What works well and why?   What can you learn and apply to your own blog?

Contact other bloggers in your niche area or related subjects and give them support.  I don’t know about you but I am soooo thrilled when someone contacts me with supportive or constructive comments.   I don’t do enough of that but plan to do more!   It only takes a minute or two to leave a comment.

Reschedule Pins on Pinterest that you do not feel have had as much success as they could have had or reschedule Pins that were very successful first time round.   I use Tailwind for this.  I think you can use it for Instagram too but I am only a beginner on Instagram and haven’t yet linked my account to Tailwind.   When you reschedule old Pins make sure the links back to your blog are working!   Please note – these links are affiliates link so if you do click through to the Tailwind site it could generate a small income for me at no additional cost to you.   However, Please note, I am recommending Tailwind because I really rate it!

Develop more content in your niche – for me this means designing crochet items or producing crochet.   Working on existing projects is something I can do when I am too tired to think so it works well when I am busy.

Re-read your own blog (critically).   Blogs build over time and it is easy to forget what you have posted previously.    If you re-read it can help generate new ideas or you might find that there are posts that need a small edit to be brought up to date.   Make sure all the old links are working.   I often find I am reading old articles on other people’s blogs and they are normally still relevant but sometimes the links are no longer working.

Sketch out a draft post.   If you don’t have time to write a post but you do have an idea albeit very high level, get it down on paper or capture it on your device.   This could be in a note app or in the wordpress editor as a draft post.   It is much easier to flesh out an idea that is already written down.  At least – that is my experience!

Those are my 10 ideas.    I hope you find them helpful and that you find the time you need to work on your blog soon.

Finally – here is my status report.   Showing progress in July

  • Pinterest followers – 702
  • AdSense income to date – £1.82   (up £1.70 this month)
  • Amazon affiliate income – 0
  • Shareasale income – 0
  • Subscribers – 3 (myself, my son and MY FIRST actual subscriber – woo hoo!)
  • Etsy listings – 10
  • Etsy sales – 0
  • Page views  – 590 (up 170 this month)

Still a long way to go 🙂  Happy blogging!

Annie.

blog progress #4

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Hello and welcome to my fourth weekly update.   This week is different for two reasons.   Firstly I realised that this is an anniversary of sorts – I set up my blog around a year ago.   Secondly I have decided to split the blog progress updates from the crochet blog because I am not sure whether all readers would want to see both.

The realisation that I have been working at this in my spare time for a little over a year now surprised me.   It feels like I have only really been working on this for a couple of months.   I didn’t put much time into it at first and I didn’t set myself any goals when I started.   Big mistake.    Everything feels a lot more focussed now and in the last two months I have started to make real progress.

My top tips from a year of blogging.

1.  GET STARTED

I spent so long dreaming about starting a blog; talking about starting a blog; reading the work of other people who were starting a blog….  you get the idea.   I spent so long doing everything BUT start this blog.   It can all feel a bit daunting at first but it is like all large tasks, you make a start and chip away at it and before you know it you have a blog!   One thing is certain, if you don’t start, you will never have a blog.   The first step I recommend is get yourself a domain.   I use 1&1.  Many people recommend Blue Host.   If you want real ownership of your content and flexibility to monetise your blog one day it is better to host it on your own domain.   The link below will take you to 1&1 where you can have fun checking out potential names for your blog.   1&1 have very low pricing for starter packages.   At the time of writing these start at £0.99 per month for the first year, £4.99 per month thereafter.  You probably won’t need more than a starter package – if you do that would mean your blog had really taken off and would be a nice problem to have!!   Don’t let anything hold you back – make a start today and get your blog off the ground.

2.  WORDPRESS

WordPress is a really easy way to get your blog up and running and it is free.    1&1 offer a download which takes minutes to load.   I paid for a ‘theme’ when I started because I read that some of the free themes do not allow you to set up advertising.  Here is a link to one of my first posts from last year  where I went into more detail on setting up your blog and included a link to the free tutorials that helped me get started.   The more you work with WordPress the easier it gets so again my recommendation is JUST GET STARTED!!

3.  MONETISE straight away but don’t stress if nothing much happens!

I waited until the last few months to get started with monetising my blog but there is no reason to wait.   Many of the affiliate schemes out there and advertising plans accept newbies.   I am a member of the 1&1 affiliate programme as you can see from the link above.   This has not brought me any income so far but it could do – at no additional cost to my readers.

I also use Google AdSense which is great fun if only for the trackers that show how many page views and clicks your site has gained.   See my status report at the bottom of this post.

My final recommendation is to join Shareasale through which you can apply for links for products and services you want to recommend.   There is no charge to you for this. When readers of your blog click on these links you will earn a small income at no additional cost to your reader – everybody wins!   Join shareasale.com, Earn Cash!

4.  USE SOCIAL MEDIA

Use social media to build up a following which will then drive traffic to your blog.   Whatever your niche build up a profile in that subject area.   This year I have used Pinterest mainly.   There is a huge amount of help and advice out there on Pinterest and facebook in particular where you can also link up with other bloggers who help and share in your progress.   I have found Pinterest to be a quick way to build a following.  Facebook seems to require more work and I haven’t really used very much as yet.    Twitter and Instagram also help drive traffic  but again need more time spending on them.   These are on my list for this coming year.

5.  PUT OUT CONTENT REGULARLY

I have had the most success when I have put out content on my blog weekly or bi weekly.   With Pinterest I have gained the most followers when I have pinned around 20 times per day.    My pins are partly my own content but also quality content that I have found on Pinterest.   Pinning takes time and to be effective needs to be spaced through the week.

I use Tailwind to schedule my own pins and pins from my Tailwind tribes.   This allows me to put in a couple of  hours on my blog at the weekend and benefit all through the week when I am busy with my day job!  Using Tailwind has enabled me to build my Pinterest following quickly.

Tailwind tribes are genuis – they allow you to find like minded bloggers and make connections that give you the chance to promote their work whilst showing them your posts and gaining help from them.

I am a member of the Tailwind affiliate programme but have not yet earned any income.   Tailwind is free to use at entry level but I have now upgraded to a paid service.   I simply couldn’t run my blog without Tailwind as I am so pushed for time during the week.

The other recommendations I have read up on but cannot claim to have experience of yet are as follows:

  • Build a mailing list – I just set mine up so will report when I know more
  • Guest post on other blogs – I received my first invitation to do this and I plan to take that up when I have some really good content to share
  • Build your network – comment on other blogs and follow like minded bloggers.   This is very much in my plan for the coming year.There is so much you can do when you have a blog, so many strategies to try.   It doesn’t have to take up all your time though.   To repeat myself (again) – my heartfelt recommendation is to give it a go – just get started.   I have had so much fun doing this this year and I am looking forward to a successful second year.


    Finally – here is my status report.   Showing progress in the last seven days:

    • Pinterest followers – 602  (up 27 this week)
    • AdSense income to date – 40p   (up 8p this week)
    • Subscribers – 1 (me – it was a test)
    • Etsy listings – 10
    • Etsy sales – 0
    • Page views last seven days – 61 (up 27 this week)

My focus this last week was on Pinterest board descriptions and I have increased my following more rapidly so it could be that that has been paying off.    Next week I plan to work on my group board applications.    That’s all from me.  More next week.

Happy blogging!

Annie 🙂

New to blogging

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Get your first blog up and running!!

I wrote this as my first post when I was just starting this blog. The advice contained below is exactly what I needed when I was new to blogging. I have loved my blogging journey and hope this helps you start yours…..

Original post starts here – May 2017. I am a new blogger and learning all the time from the huge number of articles out there.    I have found it to be a complete information overload.

Many articles claim to make the process of setting up a blog simple, then proceed with complicated instructions.

I am a complete beginner and have no qualification or expertise in this area.   I am only sharing my experience and limited knowledge in the hope that it helps you on your journey.

Below I share two links that are enough to make a proper start and get a working blog out there.   These are the best I have found.   I am still learning and I will continue to share as I find helpful information.

Firstly it is important to note that there are many free options out there for hosting your blog.   However, the solution I have chosen uses WordPress on my own domain hosted by 1&1.   This means I have paid for my own website name. My site is not part of another website. I read several horror stories about bloggers who put hours of work into blogs only to lose the content later.   Owning your own domain removes a big risk of this happening.

The links below take you to 1&1 Ionos where you can choose your own domain name and hosting package.   1&1 make this part very easy and quick.   Hosting packages can be very cheap and I would advise you start small.   You can always upgrade later as your requirements change.

get a domain name – 1&1 ionos

get hosting with 1&1 ionos

I found navigating WordPress and getting my blog up and running the hardest part.  I had made a small start using the welcome instructions in the WordPress software but I didn’t make any serious process until I found this free online course.

free wordpress tutorial

It really is free!   Signing up gives you access to a facebook based user group for support.  There are also discounts on offer for more WordPress support services.   I do not know yet whether I will need to use these but it is good to know they are there.

The only investment I made other than in hosting my own domain was to buy a WordPress Theme.  This is not essential and does cost money. However, the free themes are quite restrictive in what they allow you to do.   I bought the Genesis theme.  The course covers this subject.

This is all it took to get my first blog up and running!!   I did have to break off in the middle of setting up to complete a few tasks that I could have done in advance so I will put those into a separate post.   The main tasks were taking photos and preparing text.   I am still working on the photos!!

I hope this helps you and I wish you all the best in getting started on your own blog journey!   Please let me know how you get on 🙂

If you would like to read more of my blogging journey – click on Blogging in the menu above or follow this link to one of my more recent posts.