#BlogTip What Other Blogs Do

Write Better Right Now: The Reluctant Writer’s Guide to Confident Communication and Self-Assured Style by Mary-Kate Mackey

This book is full of tips for those struggling to write. It's aimed mostly at non-fiction. But there is a great tip for bloggers on page 35.

Spend some time visiting other blogs. (Need to find some? Check out our master list. https://tinyurl.com/AtoZ22) Figure out what you like or don't like about each one. What titles draw you in? How do colors and graphics impact your experience? What causes you to click away instead of scrolling for more? How did a blog impact your decision to subscribe or follow the author on social media? What posting schedules most appeal to you, and where do you place the line between "too often" and "not often enough"? Which blogs got you to leave comments, and which blogs are getting the comments you want to see on your blog?

Knowing what you like, and what you don't, will help you determine your blogging goals. Make yourself happy first, make your blog your happy place, and you'll be more likely to find like-minded readers. And if you can't figure out a favorite blog is doing something you wish you were doing, ASK! Most bloggers in the A to Z Community are happy to share their experience and expertise with you. 

(If you're too nervous to ask on your own, shoot me a private message. I interview authors and bloggers all the time. We can keep you anonymous if messaging your "blogging hero" is too intimidating.) 

Embed an Image #AtoZChallenge #BlogTip

We're celebrating our Tenth Anniversary here at the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

#AtoZchallenge. The blog hop that made an online community by asking bloggers to spend the month of April using the English alphabet as inspiration for their posts. We're glad you stopped by today.

Embed an Image

I was chatting with Karis, my Operation Awesome teammate, about images in blog posts.



Blog posts with images in them have higher share rates.

But what will the caption be once someone shares just the image? What will show up for users with a web-browser that disables images? What good are the images if someone is blind or visually impaired?

The solution is a simple one. Add the "alt text" code. Either by clicking the image or by editing the HTML code.



Do you share interesting images you find on blog posts?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins