Re: Blog Info

**c*@mail.com**

Sandie et al;
I use wordpress software for my blog at WholeLifeGardening.com. I'd recommend that anyone buy their own domain name and set up a blog using the software of your choice at that domain name - that way, you control the site and should something happen to the company you signed up with, you don't lose your blog. 

If you use Wordpress software, learn how to change the setting so that the page name is taken from the title of the post. I didn't do this until recently, and once the speaker at the GWA Region 1 meeting pointed out to me that my page name was a default string of letters and numbers, and that doesn't give search engines anything to search for, I changed it. I noticed that the hits to my website via search engines quadrupled almost immediately.

Write as often as you can. Daily if possible. When I made the decision to blog daily last Sept, my readership doubled within a month, and now I have many people write me that they start their day by reading my blog - this because they know there will be something new there every morning. (I write at night which gives me the day to keep my eyes open for my topic.) 

The best advice that I got when starting WholeLifeGardening was from Susan Harris, who said that I should decide why I'm blogging. What do you want to say? Are there things to say that no one else is saying? Who is your audience?  Knowing the answers to those questions will give you a roadmap for starting your blog that is far more important than which software you use.

Don't pick too many categories for your posts - otherwise you'll end up with a huge list down the side of your blog and it's confusing. Keep the site as clean and easy to navigate as possible. 

all the best,
C.L.

www.gardenlady.com
blog www.wholelifegardening.com
"Looking for relaxation and inspiration? It's all in your own backyard"

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