Blog Idol Interview SITS 31 Days to Build a Better Blog edition #2 {Look Under the Hood}

Welcome to the second installment of Blog Idol Interviews the SITS 31 Days to Build a Better Blog edition!

Two weeks ago, I announced my team of fabulous bloggers helping to support the SITS event and how each Monday, I will have a Blog Idol Interview featuring the team’s advice on the topics at hand for that week of the SITS 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. Last week, my team covered topics in the Assess Your Blog content block. This week we’ll be “looking under the hood”.

My hope is that the bloggers sharing their advice will offer you additional insight and thought when working to take your blog to the next level. So without further adieu….

SITS Girls 31 Days to Build a Better Blog – Content Block #2 – Look Under the Hood

What makes a successful “About Me” page?

“A picture, something personal or funny, hobbies and some of your greatest accomplishments or achievements. Make it short and sweet, it does not have to be an autobiography.” ~Andrea, Savvy Sassy Moms

“In my opinion, there area few items every ‘About Me’ page needs. 1. Your name (first name only is fine) 2. A photo of you 3. Contact information, even if you have a separate contact page. 4. A succinct write-up about you/what you write about. 5. Show a hint of your personality so readers can get a sense of your website’s tone and ‘flavor’. I feel it’s important to note that your About Me page shouldn’t drag on and on. Readers aren’t going to read 8 paragraphs covering your life story. Also, if the history or goals of your site need further explanation, consider adding an About My Blog page to separate that information from your About Me info.” ~Liz, EliRose Social Media & Belle, Bean & a Chicago Dog

“There are a few key elements to a successful About Me page: 

1. Who are you? Having a personal introduction is a perfect way to start off.
2. What is your blog about? Use your elevator pitch here!
3. Include a photo. Share a photo that shows off your personality. This allows visitors to relate to you and see the person behind the blog.
4. Favorite posts. Most new readers or companies want to get a taste of your writing. Highlight some of your favorite posts – this is also a great way to get more traffic to the posts that you are most proud of.
5. Make sure to include a way for them to contact you.
6. Keep the information relevant and short – noone likes to read a really long bio, you’ll have them falling asleep before they get to the end.” 

~ Tina, Life without Pink & Girls Lunch Out

“My ‘About Me’ page used to be very stuffy. If you read it you would know my name, the ages of my kids, the fact that I was married and then you would be fast asleep. Over time I found aspects of different ‘About Me’ pages that I liked and decided mind was in desperate need of an overhaul. An ‘About Me’ page that catches my eye has four aspects: short and sweet, a picture (or two or five), writing in the “voice” of that specific blogger, something about the blogger that I can either identify with or will remember them for.” ~Jessica, Four Plus an Angel

What makes a successful PR page?

“Make sure you tell them about yourself, have your contact information easy to find, and what you are potentially interested in. Also, let them know why they should choose you instead of someone else. How do you stand out and how will you help them? ~Tracy, Sellabit Mum

“Include a simple explanation of what you are interested in doing. Are you willing to do reviews and giveaways? Maybe you are looking to obtain a few freelance writing positions? Or perhaps you are looking to work as a brand ambassador. Be clear on your goals. Make sure your contact information is visible and easy to find.” ~ Tina, Life without Pink & Girls Lunch Out

What Plug-ins are a must for every blogger? 

“WordPress database backup is a must! How would you feel if your blog crashed and you lost everything you wrote? I personally might not be able to recover from that. Ever. I also love social media sharing icon plugins. Sexy bookmarks is a good example of these. You want to make it easy for your readers to share your posts on Twitter and Facebook. I also like Akismet to catch all those pesky spam comments about Viagra and how to look like Brad Pitt in Fight Club. Comment Luv is a great plugin to have so your readers can share their latest post from their own blog when they comment on yours.” ~Rachel, Mommy Needs a Vacation

“Some of my favorite plugins: WordPress Editorial Calendar, WordPress Database Plugin, ReplyMe, WP Mobile Detector, TweetMeme Retweet Button, Health Check, Like (for FB)” ~Tina, Life without Pink & Girls Lunch Out

How do you make sure your readers can find your older posts consistently throughout your site?

“I’ve worked in ecommerce for many years, and one of the principles of good site design is that you have to provide readers multiple ways to do what they are seeking to do. The same is true for a blog. I have 7 different ways that people can find older posts: 

• I have a “greatest hits” sneeze page for my favorite posts.
• I have my blog categories displayed as navigation items in my header.
• I have my blog categories displayed in my sidebar (presented differently than in header).
• I have an old posts archive in my sidebar.
• I use the NRelate Plugin to display related posts at the bottom of each post.
• I have a Recent Posts widget in my sidebar.
• I use the Tweet Old Post plugin to tweet out older posts and expose them to new readers. 

“First and foremost, let me say that this is an area where you should do what I say, not what I do. What do I get right in this area? SEARCH. The search function of my blog is clearly located in the upper right hand side of my blog and is easy to use. That is critical. What do I only do sometimes that I should do often? Related posts. I almost never remember to list related posts at the end of each post, inviting readers to delve deeper into the subject and stay a bit longer. When I do remember to link those posts using the related posts plug-in, I find that most readers do in fact click through and stay longer. It really does work.” 

~ Amy, Resourceful Mommy

“…Another great way to get readers to older posts is to have a drop down menu in your sidebar where they can choose from categories. So, if a reader wants to see all of my recipes, they can select that category and see all my recipe posts.” 

~ Natalie, Mommy of a Monster & Twins 

“I was just telling my husband that using the Linked Within plugin has been one of my best moves. A great deal of my traffic comes from the links Linked Within suggests. It keeps people on site and seems to do a pretty good job suggesting relebant content for readers.” 

~Jenny, Jenny on the Spot

Other Blog Idol Interview Posts of Interest: 

SITS31DBBB  Interview Week #1 Assess Your Blog

Blog Idol Interview: Scary Mommy

Blog Idol Interview: Mama Kat’s Losin’ It

Blog Idol Interview: Theta Mom

What’s one new thing you plan to do to improve your blog based on this Blog Idol Interview?

Tagged as: akismet, Blog Tips, Blogging, comment luv, Darren Rowse 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, dead links, hyperlink blog posts, interlinking blog posts, mobile friendly blog, sexy bookmarks, SITS 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, sneeze pages, wordpress database backup, wordpress plugins