This list may seem like common sense to many of you, but I can't even begin to tell you how many blogs I've stumbled upon lately that are missing some of the most crucial, in my opinion, pieces any reader would be looking for when they visit your blog. Giving your readers this information without making them go on a blog scavenger hunt will make them happy and hopefully keep them around a bit longer!
1. About page - This is the first thing I click on any blog I am visiting for the first time. I want to know who you are and what interests you to see if we have anything in common. This is also a good place to briefly mention what your blog is about, if you have a specific niche, and will help draw in more readers before they even begin to browse your archives.
2. Your name - Giving your name enables readers to feel more of a personal connection with you. You don't have to put your whole name out there for the entire interwebs to see, but at least something would be nice. It also helps people address you in a non-awkward way, like when readers want to send you an email because they really love your blog or post, or when a company is trying to contact you to do a collaboration- they want to know who they're talking to! Speaking of which, go ahead and put an email for contacting also.
3. Your location - For privacy reasons, you don't have to get very specific, but at least a general idea of what region you're in will allow others to connect with you. Back when I was just a blog reader, I was specifically looking for bloggers in the New England area that I could connect with prior to my move. I was interested in finding weekend recaps/travel posts to get a feel of what the area was like and get some ideas of where I would like to visit upon arriving. I was able to connect with bloggers in specific cities and reading their posts made my to-do/visit list much more exciting.
4. Cast of characters - If you frequently mention your best friend, boyfriend, hubby, dog, whoever, give them a name! If they're a significant part of your life, go ahead and introduce them on your about page. Your readers will understand who you're talking about rather than reading a post with random name drops!
5. Follow options - Believe it or not, I've found some awesome blogs, but I couldn't find an option to follow. I had to manually search for them via Bloglovin to add to my reading list, but some people may not take that extra step. Add your Bloglovin, social media links, etc because it's the best way to make blog friends and you don't want to lose potential readers by not giving them an easy option to keep up with you!
Labels: 5 things every blogger needs, bloggers, blogging
