Nine Blogging Milestones to Celebrate

Posted: 07 Oct 2013 05:45 AM PDT

You probably have some big goals (or dreams) for your blog.

Maybe you'd love to make a living online. Perhaps you hope to attract a large audience, or you're aiming to become well-known in your field.

These goals can sometimes seem a very long way off, though. For many bloggers, it takes months to start to get the results they’re hoping for.

Instead of looking far ahead to a distant goal, focus on some of the milestones you've already achieved, and the ones which are coming up.

I've listed the milestones in roughly the order you're likely to achieve them, but no two blogs (and bloggers) are the same — so you might well find that you've skipped some or reached others in a different order.

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Milestone #1: Getting Your Blog Up and Running

Some people read about blogging, think about blogging, talk about blogging … but never get around to starting their blog.

The set-up stage can take a lot of time and thought — you may need to get your head around the techy side of things, or you might have tricky strategic decisions to make. If you've got yours online, that's a great achievement.

Milestone #2: Publishing Your Second Post

Once your blog's online, Post #1 is often not too tricky: you could, for instance, simply write a bit about the purpose of their blog and about who you are.

Post #2 is harder. I've seen a fair few blogs with just one post … ever. If you've got at least two posts on your blog, congratulations!

Milestone #3: Getting Your First Subscriber

You might get some initial traffic from Facebook friends or forum buddies, but it's when you get your first subscriber that you know you're on the right lines.

If someone's signed up to follow your blog by RSS or email, it's a safe bet that they liked what they saw. You've turned a casual visitor into a (hopefully) loyal reader.

Milestone #4: Getting Your First Tweet or Share

Once you have some readers, it's only a matter of time before someone (other than you!) tweets one of your posts, or shares it on Facebook … or on LinkedIn, Google+, etc.

To reach this milestone a little sooner, make sure you have social sharing buttons on your posts. There are plenty of WordPress plugins that can do this. You may want to focus on one or two specific social networks, rather than providing dozens of buttons.

Milestone #5: Getting Your First Comment

In the early weeks of blogging, it might feel like you're writing and writing … and no-one's reading. Getting your first comment proves that at least one person is not only reading, they're engaging.

If you're struggling to get comments, check out some of the links (and some of the great comments) here: Seven Ways to Get More Comments on Your Blog.

Milestone #6: Getting Your First Link

The first time another blogger links to you is real proof you're doing something right. It might be in their blogroll, in a weekly roundup post, or even in a post that tells their readers how much they're enjoying your blog.

You might be tempted to hurry this one along with a link exchange (asking another blogger to link to your blog in return for a link to theirs). Keep in mind that Google may penalise you if you do this too much, plus link exchange requests can be irritating to other bloggers.

Milestone #7: Making Your First Dollar

Even if you're not interested in making a living from your blogging, you might at least want to offset your hosting costs. The day you first make money from your blog — even if it's just a dollar — is one to savour.

If you're unsure how blogs make money, or if you're looking for an easy-to-implement method, try our post Seven Ways Blogs Make Money — Which is Right For You?

Milestone #8: Writing Your First Post for Another Blog

There's no rule saying that you have to guest post on other people's blogs … but I've never met a successful blogger who hasn't. Guest posts are a great way to get in front of a big audience, to build a relationship with well-known bloggers in your niche, and to get links.

You don't need to have lots of readers in order to guest post (in fact, you can guest post even without a blog of your own). If you need a helping hand, read our Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Your First Guest Post.

Milestone #9: Getting a "Thank You" Email from a Reader

Comments are great … but there's something particularly special about receiving an email from a reader to thank you for you post.

Maybe you wrote something that helped them solve a tricky problem in their life. Maybe your words encouraged them during a tough time. Whatever the situation, you made a difference — and that's something to be truly proud of.

What would your #10 be? And which of these milestones have you already reached? Let us know in the comments…

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Five Types of Image to Use on Your Blog - DailyBlogTips

Five Types of Image to Use on Your Blog

Posted: 05 Oct 2013 05:00 AM PDT

Does your blog need a bit of visual sprucing up?

It's a safe bet that you know images on blogs are generally a good idea: they add visual interest, create white space, break up the text, and may even offer useful information.

But have you thought through all the different types of image you can use?

#1: Photos

This is what many bloggers think of first: an eye-catching photo, often sourced from Flickr under a Creative Commons license.

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There's no denying these work well and can draw the reader into a post. If you want help finding photos you can use for free, this post has great pointers.

#2: Screenshots

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If you're describing something technical, a screenshot can make it much easier for readers to understand the process. We used the one above in yesterday's post on WordPress's Screen Options.

Screenshots can also be useful when linking to other blogger's posts: instead of a straightforward link, you could take a screenshot of the post title and use that, as Tim Soulo does in 29 Brilliant Posts You Have to Read Before I Call You an Internet Marketer.

#3: Advertising Banners

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This might seem an odd one to include, but advertising banners are a form of image too – and they can help add colour and interest to your site.

If you're reading this on the Daily Blog Tips site rather than in your email, glance to the left; the sponsors' banners jazz up the sidebar. We also use Google ads at the start of posts.

#4: Logos

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Using the logos (or headers) of sites you've appeared on or conferences you've spoken at can be a great way to showcase your credentials. This is how I do it in my sidebar on my site Aliventures:

You can also use logos when you write a round-up post or link to other bloggers' sites; it's a nice way to add visual interest.

#5: Product Images

If you're writing a review, it's often useful to include an image (even if it's just of an ebook's virtual "cover"). For instance, if we reviewed ProBlogger's ebook 31 Days to Build a Better Blog (aff), we'd use this:

Many manufacturers and sellers will have product images on their sites, and it's usually OK to use these in your review – though do ask them if you're unsure.

What types of image do you use on your blog? Have we missed out any important categories? Add your thoughts in the comments below.

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