With the coming of a new year, we inevitably make resolutions – e.g. get to the gym more often, spend more time with family, go traveling, etc. Why not make a resolution to improve your fashion blog, too? I’m definitely no expert but as I’ve been blogging for a couple of years and on two different blogs, I thought I’d share a few tips that I picked up along the way in the hopes that they might help you improve your blog in 2011!
1. Remove word verification
You get spam. I get spam. We all get spam. It’s annoying, I know, but it only takes a second to delete it (Blogger’s new Spam button = fabulous). And removing your spam filter makes it a million times easier for those legitimate commenters to leave you a nice little note. Do it!
Editor’s note: If spam is a problem, enable comment moderation. WordPress has a great spam blocker called Akismet that really helps curb the spam.
2. Make your contact information easy to find
Readers, other bloggers, and advertisers should be able to easily get in touch with you. Make sure your e-mail address is placed prominently on your blog, and include links to your Twitter/Facebook pages if you use them. Alternatively, you could place all the relevant info in your ‘About’ section, as long as the link to that is placed above the fold on your home page.
If you use Blogger, make sure you include your e-mail address on your profile page. That way, if you leave a comment on someone else’s blog, they can easily reply to you via e-mail.
3. Take your own pictures
Unless you are posting something that is incredibly rare and unique or trying to illustrate a very specific point, there is really no reason to snag pictures from the web (e.g. Style.com, WeHeartIt, etc.) on a regular basis and use them in your posts. You don’t have to post pictures of yourself (although I’m a hearty advocate of outfit photos… and I like to see your faces! 
) but pictures that you have taken yourself are preferable to any other type of picture.
Once you have your own pictures… find the perfect size for them. There is one particular blog that takes ages to load because the pictures are huge. And when (if) they do finally load, I have to scroll down three or four times before I can see the entire outfit. Outfit posts make a much better impact if you can see the entire thing from top to toe!
Of course, there are tons more ways to improve your blog, but if you follow these three, you will have original content and you will make it easier for readers to get in touch with you about how amazing your content is. It’s win-win!
Wishing you lots of blog success in 2011!
Image by by foxandfeathers (maybe IFB needs to start taking our own pics!)
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Such a fantastic and insightful post, Leia! One of my goals for the new year was to start implementing more of my own pictures in my blog. I love personal pictures, though I’ve never felt like I was particularly good at taking them myself. It’s certainly fun to try, though!
And when I was on Blogger I would get so many spam comments – now that I’ve moved to WordPress I don’t get nearly as much (knock on wood), but I somehow still get e-mail notifications of spam comments from Blogger despite forwarding my account to the WordPress one. It’s terrible!
Thanks for the great advice, Leia.
I actually find the “word verification” a bit annoying but it is just a necessary evil against spam in some blogs. Fortunately, Akismet works wonderfully on my blog and I don’t have to use it.
I’m still struggling with the 3rd advice though. But this is one of my blogging goals for 2011: take my own pics to use on the blog. I’m just one of those who’s not comfortable posting pictures of myself so I’ll have to find another subjects to photograph.=)
This is really helpful, thank you! I agree with using your own images rather than found ones from the web.
Agreed on all accounts. Good tips.
Thanks for mentioning Word Verification
I use it only on posts over 4 days old I think and I’ve never gotten a live spam comment.
thank you for the insight
a truely helpful post..
excellent info. I have only been blogging for 3 months so far so good, but I want to see my blog develop in 2011.
I will have a think about the word verification too.