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Maggie Whitley

joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith & simple living

You are here: Home / blog & handmade advice / {5 simple tips for improving your blog}

{5 simple tips for improving your blog}

March 1, 2011 · 26 Comments
Filed Under: blog & handmade advice, guest bloggers

Today’s guest blogger is one of my online pals, Leigh-Ann of Freckled Nest. We’ve been friends for almost a year now. Three quick reasons why I like being her friend//look up to her: she’s fun, friendly and smart :] I know you’re going to love her post below. And you’ll secretly learn a few things.
xxoo!

Hi Everyone + Maggie :) Thank you for inviting me to share blogging tips on Gussy! My name’s Leigh-Ann and my blog & company is Freckled Nest… I co-own FN and we mainly offer custom blog design, online classes (Indie Business and Home Ec), ad managing and handmade items through A Little Thistle on etsy :) I live in Winnipeg Canada, 5 minutes away from all of my family and I love thrifting, walks with my dog Lola, swimming, reality tv, doing Oprah impersonations, and working.

Five Simple Tips for Improving Your Blog

1. Post photos at their maximum width. To give your blog visual flow and appeal, load your photos at your blogs full width so that they can be seen easily and look stunning. Depending on what blog platform you’re on, you can preset your maximum photo width so that they always load full size OR increase the size by double-clicking the photo and choosing a larger width.

2. Let music be optional. Arriving at a blog that automatically starts playing music or a video is kinda alarming. I often read blogs when I can’t sleep, and when I open a blog with instant music, I panic and leave immediately to avoid waking my boyfriend or pup (also bad for people blog reading in their cubicles).

3. Tweet your post. Set your blog up to automatically tweet new posts. A lot of casual clickers will visit when they see the new post title + link in twitter and some people even use this as a ‘no pressure reader’. If your blog doesn’t have an automatic tweet feature, shorten your blog post address with a service like tinyurl.com to save characters. Tweet in the day or evening and only tweet about a post once.

4. Choose a contrasting link color. Links should stand out a little bit and be obvious amongst a body of text. If your blogs font color is black, avoid choosing grey or dark blue for the links because they will probably go unnoticed. To improve navigation, select a more vivid color for your linked words and consider enabling the underline or bold feature on linked text (available in some blog platforms).

5. Be one person. Brand yourself clearly and consistently by using one name online, in all of your online involvement. It’s not uncommon to meet a person who juggles their married name and maiden name, a nickname, short-form name, and/or a character that they carry online. You can represent yourself online with almost any name, you’re not signing checks so choose your favorite name and use it always so that you build recognizable relationships and easy communication for your friends and potential business connections. Choose an email (and blog) address that reflects your name, your blog name or business name so that there’s an immediate connection to you and keep it clear and simple.

xoxo, Leigh-Ann


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26 Comments
Filed Under: blog & handmade advice, guest bloggers

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Comments

  1. LoveFeast Table says

    March 1, 2011 at 6:12 am

    Great and timely advice! Thank you!
    -Kristin and Chris Ann

    Reply
  2. Mayya @ Sew Chic and Unique says

    March 1, 2011 at 6:49 am

    Great tips and so glad they are offering Indie Business course thinking of signing up, thanks Maggie and Leigh Ann

    Reply
  3. katy reitz (lil' alice) says

    March 1, 2011 at 6:50 am

    great tips! thank you!

    Reply
  4. Allison says

    March 1, 2011 at 7:00 am

    Excellent! I’ll take all the help I can get :-) Have a good day all!

    Reply
  5. Mandi says

    March 1, 2011 at 7:56 am

    Great suggestions! I agree whole-heartedly on the NO MUSIC thing. There are a few blogs I love-love-love and I read them despite the music, but I wish so much they’d take it off so I wouldn’t have to mute my laptop every time I go to their site.

    Reply
  6. Liz says

    March 1, 2011 at 8:17 am

    Great tips! I totally agree on the music. I leave those blogs right away!

    Reply
  7. Sandy a la Mode says

    March 1, 2011 at 8:49 am

    these are some really great tips!! thanks soo much gussy and LA!!!

    Reply
  8. Whitney says

    March 1, 2011 at 8:53 am

    I agree with you and everyone else who has commented on the music thing…especially as someone who reads blogs at work. Hehe! (Shh, don’t tell.) Anyone who is interested in Indie Biz 3.0, there’s still time to sign up. I’ve met some really awesome people so far, so hurry up and join us!

    Reply
  9. Ms. Megan says

    March 1, 2011 at 8:57 am

    I agree with the no music!! That is beyond annoying!!
    And I also like bigger pictures! When they are so tiny that I can barley see what is being photographed, my mind starts to wander. :(
    Wonderful tips!!! Thank you!!
    xoxo

    Reply
  10. Tiffany says

    March 1, 2011 at 9:08 am

    thanks gussy! that was some really good advice. for someone new to blogging (regularly anyway) the tips were helpful for sure!

    are you excited for the indie class to start today? i am so going over there now!

    Reply
  11. sarah @ Handbags*N*Pigtails says

    March 1, 2011 at 9:27 am

    Im so technically challenged when it comes to all of this blog stuff but Im trying my hardest to figure it all out. Thanks for the tips! Theyre greatly apprecaites:)
    Xo,
    Sarah

    Reply
  12. Heatherly says

    March 1, 2011 at 10:09 am

    Thank you, Leigh Ann {and Gussy} for these timely tips!

    Much appreciated!

    Reply
  13. Jess says

    March 1, 2011 at 10:45 am

    Great tips Leigh-Ann! I am definitely one of those cubicle followers and I hate background music on blogs! Talk about a dead giveaway!!!

    Gus – This was such a great guest post idea! It would be awesome to see these from more bloggers in the community!

    Reply
  14. Brandi says

    March 1, 2011 at 11:36 am

    Great advice! Thank you for posting this!

    Reply
  15. Katie P says

    March 1, 2011 at 11:50 am

    Thanks so much for the advice! I feel like I’m constantly working on “branding myself” and staying true to that, but boy is it difficult!

    Reply
  16. teresa says

    March 1, 2011 at 12:12 pm

    What a CUTE~CUTE vintage GIRLIE she is!
    LOVE her ENERGY!
    Great BLOGGING tips!
    GUSSY + Freckled Nest = HAPPY!
    xo

    Reply
  17. alison says

    March 1, 2011 at 12:21 pm

    thanks for the tips! i never knew what the heck tinyurl was before and now i feel so savvy…appreciate the tips.

    blessings,

    alison
    stuff and nonsense

    Reply
  18. Beth says

    March 1, 2011 at 12:34 pm

    Great post! i hate music on blogs too!

    Reply
  19. Sarah says

    March 1, 2011 at 12:36 pm

    Such simple and helpful tips! I’m looking forward to updating my blog’s colour palette for spring! A bright link colour will definitely be included!

    Reply
  20. angela white says

    March 1, 2011 at 1:06 pm

    just tweaking my site today…i think ill go check my link colors. and thank you for posting about music. nothing will run me off of a blog or site sooner.

    Reply
  21. Rebecca@This Present Life says

    March 1, 2011 at 1:50 pm

    Great tips! And thanks for the TinyURL link! My blog automatically shortens my post links on Twitter but I didn’t know how to do it for other interesting links I want to share with everyone!

    Reply
  22. Stunning says

    March 1, 2011 at 4:29 pm

    Great tips! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  23. Kate @ Songs Kate Sang says

    March 1, 2011 at 10:34 pm

    Wonderful advice! Thank you!

    Reply
  24. Leigh-Ann says

    March 2, 2011 at 10:50 am

    Thanks for all the nice comments everyone!!
    xo, Leigh-Ann

    Reply
  25. Julie {CalleLillyCafe} says

    March 3, 2011 at 1:51 am

    Love LA & Indie 3.0! yes to the no music deal too. =) great tips & thank you.

    Reply

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    January 23, 2012 at 6:08 am

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ABOUT MAGGIE WHITLEY DESIGNS:
Maggie Whitley weaves her writings around joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith, and simple living. She homeschools her children, enjoys a quiet room while reading, and roars with laughter over the challenges & delights of motherhood. Maggie and her husband, along with their four young children, live in metro-Detroit. She has been writing online since 2008.
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#mothersofinstagram #tea #winterreading #hygge
I fought every internal comment I could think of a I fought every internal comment I could think of and took my kiddos for a looooong walk today before dinner. ❄️✨ There’s just so much work required to raise children! I’m feeling like a tired lady. But sunshine & fresh air are good companions to keep around. 

We came home and I made “the best dinner ever”. Max specifically announced, “it’s so great you’re launching new meals to the world”. LOL— kids! 🤣👏🏻💓
How about a little Wednesday night introduction? 😘Social media sure has changed over the years and we don’t always SEE who we’re following or remember WHY we’re following certain accounts. 

So, hello! As you can gather, my name is Maggie ;) 

I started writing online (almost 13 years ago) to share the handmade products I was sewing. My shop was called Gussy Sews. ✂️👛I love the community that has grown from sewing & sharing online.

Let’s FFW to today: Zack and I live in Michigan and have four young children (2 boys & 2 girls). I slowly left the handmade industry and walked right into homemaking, homeschooling, and encouraging women through writing. 💕📝

Motherhood has been very hard on me. (And not just because of how close in age our four children are.) It’s been hard for me because I fought for years to accept that *it’s supposed to be hard*. 

I mean, how do you effectively teach another person to know and love the Lord? Bc that’s how I think of motherhood: a calling to nurture others by studying the One who nurtures me. So I gotta make the first move: study the Bible and seek Him first. As my friend Autumn reminded me, vulnerability births transformation. 

(I’ve had to be really vulnerable!)

So, yes motherhood has fully transformed me. But even more so, Christ has fully transformed me. My list of “all that He’s done for me” is off to a beautifully long start.

Something else I want you to know about me: I stalled for years before acknowledging I have anxiety and depression. It’s hard to talk about this because of course this isn’t forever “my hardship”, but rather because acknowledging this means to heal I have to work through some really difficult things. ✨

But my friend Jesus walks alongside me. He’s already done a mighty work in my heart, including helping me process my anger in healthier ways. I’ve also adopted a heart for sisterhood, mothering, and Titus 2 mentorship.

Sometimes our greatest losses are our greatest gains? That’s what I’m clinging to!

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We had gotten a bit lazy with our rhythms: screens We had gotten a bit lazy with our rhythms: screens in the morning (HGTV), playtime before lessons, and not enough quiet time after lunch. This made for a really, ummm, unenjoyable learning experience. 

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Just a few cheery memories from my week! How about you?
Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activiti Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activities. I finished my last book moments before 2020 ended, which brought my started list to a close. Small joys add up to big joys ;)

What are you reading this year? Currently?

How many books are you planning to read? What’s your goal?

I’ll share what’s on my list for 2021 soon as I received some nice titles at Christmas. 📖✨🤍
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