Hello Everyone!

One of my blog goals for this year (as I mentioned in this post) was to create more helpful content for my readers. Since I've been blogging for four years, I think that gives me a little bit of blogging street cred (lol). So this year I'm going to be talking a bit more about blogging and how you can make the most out of your time while improving your blog! 

Today's post is going to be 20 Easy Peasy Ways To Improve Your Blog This Month! What's great about each of these items is that they don't cost you a dime (unless you want to hire someone to design a blog header) and can be done in day (if you have the time)! Think of this post as your DIY to improving your blog this month! 

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1. Upload your pictures (at least the main photos you intend to share on social media) as vertical instead of horizontal (vertical pictures tend to get shared more often and have a bigger impact on social media sites like Pinterest).

2. Add drop down menus to your navigational bar to organize your blog. I highly recommend this video tutorial when adding drop downs to blogger. 

3. Clean up your sidebar (you know there is stuff over there you don't need)!

4. Update your blog header

5. Change the colors, fonts, and maybe the size of the text on your blog. To do this, simple go to Template --> Customize -->Advanced, then click on what you want to change. For example, backgrounds or tabs text.

6. Install a new comment section like Disqus. 

7. Update you're about page with new information and a new picture. 

8. Add a contact page (I recommend using Wufoo, since it's easy to install). 

9. Update your social media buttons to a new style or new color.

10. Organize your tags for your blog posts to make them easier to find. 

11. Sign up for Google Analytics (that way you can find out more info about your blog traffic, which you can use for creating better content or a better marketing strategy). 

12. Fill in your meta description, which is a short description of your blog that comes up on Google. To do this, simple go to Dashboard --> Settings --> Search Preferences --> Meta Description.

13. Create a way for your readers to either share their work / projects (if you're a DIY blogger) or to just connect with you more ''personally''. For example, having your own # on Twitter or Instagram. 

14. Plan out your blog content for a month or (if you're not a planner) try a week.

15. Stop focusing on those social media accounts you don't use or that you know your audiences is not on. To solve this problem you could either delete them or tell your readers that your taking a leave of absent from that social media site. 

16. Add a ''You Might Also Like'' widget under your blog posts. This will help keep your readers engage and possible stay on your blog longer. As of right now, I'm using the LinkWithin widget.

17. Change any links within a blog post, which you may have, to a different color. For example this link (which goes to my last DIY post) is a different color from the rest of the text. This will help your readers be able to locate links quickly within a big piece of text, so they can go wherever you need them to go! 

To change the color of a link, go to Template --> Customize -->Advanced --> Links

18. Place your search bar in an area where your readers can easily find it.

19. If your still using blogger's standard ''share buttons'' (which are under each blog posts that you published), change them to better fit your blog's style. To get the same buttons that I'm using at the bottom of this blog post (where it saids ''Share This Post''), follow this tutorial.

20.  Add a PIN-IT rollover button for photos on your blog (for easy sharing). 

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Now you may be saying to yourself, ''Katie, you don't have some of these things like a PIN-IT rollover button on your site''. Oh, but its coming! Later this month I will be unveiling a new blog design, so be on the look out for that! 

Also (on a side note) let me say, that I'm not a blog designer or coder. All of these tips are design to help you improve your blog, when you don't have that much money or time to spend. Cause, I want you to feel confident about your blog and its design!

xo Katie