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| This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here. |
Hi, lovelies! Let's admit it, blogging is no easy task. It's overwhelming and time-consuming, well at least for a mom like me.
You're not alone, dear ones. I also feel uninspired and cloudy at times that I couldn't write anymore. But reading these blog posts below again and again always rekindles my passion somehow.
So, I compiled some of my blogging related articles from the beginning of this journey (just for me to always look back) and a few favorite posts from other bloggers. (You know I always love to read others' posts - those that inspire and motivate me.)
I also included my Best Free Blogging Tools at the end of this post, so make sure to read the entire article, okay? (thanks!)
via The Cheerful Spirit
Nothing's more rewarding than being recognized for your hard work! I talked about it here and how I felt so elated from an unexpected award coming from a fellow blogger.
But I also shared my struggles - from being overwhelmed to my writer's block (which happens all the time!)
In the end, you'll get some more words of encouragement from my firsthand experience in this exciting yet roller-coaster blogging journey.
via The Cheerful Spirit
Do you have a struggle with productivity? Most of us do, right? Check this article out to learn effective techniques to boost your productivity.
Bonus: Get a list of 10+ wonderful Facebook Group and a Weekly Planner so you can blog with ease!
via The Cheerful Spirit
Why do you blog? Who do you blog for? Finding your unique niche and theme. Read my honest insights and some confessions around this topic.
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So you want to blog? Click the image below to learn more!
My Top Blogging Related Articles
via Love and Paper Flowers
An easy to follow complete guide by Nataly of Love and Paper Flowers. I always love how detailed she can go and write about the technical side of blogging.
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via Twins Mommy
Elna Cain, the creator of Twins Mommy is my go-to person when it comes to blogging. Her website is packed with so much information. Just like this article, you don't want to miss this if you're looking for free-feminine stock photos. I'm definitely sure you're going to love this.
via Where Comes The Sun
Let me just borrow some lines from this article because I totally can relate to it.
What really matters, in the end, is writing, so just do it. Even if it sucks. It’s gonna suck at some point, it has to. So accept this and go on! Remember that you can always edit it later, so why feeling this pressure?!
Couldn't agree more.
via Chasing Dreams
Reading posts from Rhiza Oyos is always refreshing for me. Her words speak to my heart. And this article from her is one of my faves. Let me borrow some lines to share with you:
Rest your weary heads, bloggers, if you’d like. Breaks are good and healthy and constructive, and a fresh perspective changes everything. And sure, when you return, you might have less of your readers. But you’ll have more of yourself.
~Erin Lochner, Design for Mankind
via Where Comes The Sun
And finally, need I say more than this Top 120+ Free Blogging Resource? Celeste from Where Comes The Sun is so generous to give us those freebies. Check them out, lovelies!
The Best FREE Blogging Tools
A little back story...
When I first set up this blog, I promised myself I wouldn't spend on anything related to blogging (aside from my monthly internet subscription of course!).
I just wanted to be practical then. I mean, I still wanted to see for myself if there really is a potential income from it.
So, I didn't follow what most bloggers advise like investing in the domain name and hosting or enrolling in some costly blogger courses. Everything that I did was organic.
And you know what?
Even if I didn't pay for anything and just used the free blogging platform - Blogger.com, I was still able to hit my goals:
1. Grew my social media following (FB, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest) which means an increase in traffic. Coz you see:
more blog traffic = more money
2. Scored a paid Sponsored post from Nuffnang.
3. Be approved by Google Adsense. Though I'm far from my target amount, I see that it's increasing every day. So I'm very positive about it. =)
4. Landed two of my articles on Google's first page. Alright, that's SEO working here. You might ask, "What's SEO?" It stands for Search Engine Optimization
Let me share a simple definition with you...
SEO is helping the search engine find you. SEO is making your site more visible and transparent to the search engines. The primary goal of SEO should be connecting your site to the search engine. - SEO Hacker
To illustrate, pls. see the screenshots of my two posts:
Ok, they aren't on Rank 1 yet but it's still good to know that they're on Page 1 in Google. Meaning, there are more chances that those kinds of articles will be clicked.
Again, that's another increase in traffic.
How did I do it?
I just followed one of SEO's techniques to put the keyword/s in the title, in the first paragraph, in the middle or at the end of the last paragraph.
I still need to improve more on this though.
Check out this very well written article for further details about SEO.
Therefore, I found out that it is really possible to earn from blogging.
It just requires some techniques, hard work, passion, and dedication. Read this article on one blogger and see for yourself! It's totally mind-blowing!
Alright, lovelies, here now are the FREE BLOGGING TOOLS that I personally use and recommend to you.
1. Blogger. My fave blogging platform, very easy to use and navigate as compared to others. Best for newbies and for those not so much into coding. I find it very user-friendly. Lots of beautiful designs are also available now.
2. Sora Tasty. A smart and clean look Blogger theme perfect for personal bloggers. You can customize it to your taste to make your website more appealing.
It's a responsive blogger theme optimized and displayed perfectly on any devices.
3. Google Docs. Since I'm always on the go, this app has helped me a lot. It's like a mini version of MS Word.
You can type, edit, format, insert images and more.
You can even do the work offline then copy-paste it to blogger when everything's set.
You may download this app from Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
4. Canva. It's very popular among bloggers so I gave it a try and it's been my fave graphic designer since. It's easy to use and there are thousands of beautiful templates to choose from.
5. Free Stock Photos. Ever wonder where the other bloggers get their awesome photos? Most of those are actually free. There are many websites offering free photos but I personally love those stunning images from Pixabay, Picjumbo, and Unsplash.
6. Tinypng. I love uploading lots of pictures without knowing it affects my site's load times. And we don't want a slow website, right? That's why I'm enjoying Tinypng's service. It reduces the file size of PNG files, JPEG, and animated PNG too! Isn't it cool?
7. Pinterest. If you're not yet familiar with Pinterest, it's a visual search engine. (Think of Google where you can search about anything)
Here, you can discover recipes, home ideas, style inspiration, crafts and a lot more using images. I love that it continuously brings me traffic even if I don't update my account there for a long time.
8. Grammarly. English is not my native language so I really need this app to check my grammar and spelling. So far, it's doing a great job! Instead of spending more hours to proofread, it saves me a lot of time.
And lastly... (this isn't free but I don't want you to miss this, guys!)
9. My VIVO V5s. Who says you can't blog through your smartphone? I'm using it 80% of the time for writing drafts (via Google docs), taking and editing pictures, publishing my posts then promoting to social media.
It's like my mini computer! I couldn't afford to lose it! My brother was even surprised when I told him I initially set up this blog site thru my phone (it's a Cloudfone then).
It's like my mini computer! I couldn't afford to lose it! My brother was even surprised when I told him I initially set up this blog site thru my phone (it's a Cloudfone then).
Pin this for later!
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SIDENOTES: If you're reaally serious about blogging and would like to take it to the next level, then I strongly recommend Bluehost as your hosting company.
I'm personally using it on my lifestyle blog- Sharp Aspirant. And I've no regrets signing up on this.
You may use my affiliate link to sign up and get a special offer at $3.95/month + FREE domain name registration (Only on this link, guys) Thank you!
I'm personally using it on my lifestyle blog- Sharp Aspirant. And I've no regrets signing up on this.
You may use my affiliate link to sign up and get a special offer at $3.95/month + FREE domain name registration (Only on this link, guys) Thank you!
"So what's holding you back? Let's start blogging and follow our passion, shall we?"
Share this with your friends!
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Wow! Amazing! Your the one! You never hide what you knew on blogging. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks as well PUBG! Hope you've learned something from it. =)
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