Blogging for Handmade Sellers
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How to Write a Great ArtFire, Zibbet or Etsy Blog
Many FAQs, seller how-to's, forum threads and other selling resources will tell you that writing a blog is an easy way to promote your handmade, vintage or craft supplies shop. The bad news is, they're wrong. The good news is, you can promote your shop with a blog, but you only get back what you put in - just like your shop.
If you're serious about entering the Blogosphere, and getting quality traffic to your shop along the way, the following tips will help you get the most out of your efforts.
You don't have to be an English major, an HTML whiz, or an ace reporter. All you need is a little time and the tools you already have.
If you're serious about entering the Blogosphere, and getting quality traffic to your shop along the way, the following tips will help you get the most out of your efforts.
You don't have to be an English major, an HTML whiz, or an ace reporter. All you need is a little time and the tools you already have.
The Blogging Myth
It's So Easy, Anyone Can Do It
Perhaps you've read somewhere that starting a blog will help your shop, and you're thinking all you have to do is post a picture of your latest listing once in awhile. If that is your plan, you're actually better off not starting a blog at all, and spending more time making and listing new designs.
A blog that doesn't offer anything but your own self promotion isn't going to go very far, and the amount of traffic it will bring to your store will be minimal. The amount of time that you would put into such a blog would cost you much more than the 20 cents it costs to renew or list something and get a handful of new visits on Etsy, or the time it takes to send out a Tweet about your latest ArtFire product.
Technically, blogging is pretty easy, and anyone can do it.
But you only get back what you put in.
Getting Started with Your Blog
Where to Begin?
First, you need to choose a blogging platform. The biggest names in the free blog world are Blogger, Wordpress, Tumblr and Typepad. While they all have their perks and benefits, if your main goal is to promote your work, Blogger is your best bet. You can fully customize every aspect of your blog, post third party code - like your ArtFire Rapid Cart - and it comes with Google Friend Connect, which makes it easy to get repeat visits and even loyal readers.If you're an ArtFire seller, you also get your own Studio Blog. If you decide to have an outside blog as well, remember that copy and paste is terrible for your shop and blog SEO.
If you decide to go with Blogger, you'll need a Google account to begin. If you already have a Google account for services like Gmail or Picasa, then you're good to go. Just head on over to Blogger.com and sign in.
Choose an appropriate URL for you blog. Something that includes your shop name or selling username is a good idea. Your blog title should also be similar, but it's not necessarily a good idea to make your blog title identical to your shop name. It can make promoting it sort of awkward.
"Visit DonutShop's blog, Donut Shop." sounds weird.
"Visit DonutShop's blog, Daily Donuts" sounds much better.
Wordpress blogs can be beautiful and have lots of blogger perks,
but they're not very useful for self-promotion and marketing, unless you pay for full privileges.
Look and Layout
Make Your Blog Attractive
You don't need fancy, expensive graphics and buttons and widgets to have a nice blog. Really. In fact, a plain white background and a few nice pictures allow your content to stand out without any distractions.
Choose a Blogger template that works for you. Keep in mind that a narrow post area will mean that pictures will have to be smaller. Wider layouts allow you to wrap text around larger photos, and display full sized Collections or Treasury East screenshots.
You don't need 8 sidebars. One is fine. Two is pushing it, and should only be used if absolutely necessary. Remember that your post content is the most important part of your blog, and you don't need a zillion widgets to get your point across.
Choose one of your best product photos, or something that defines who you are and what your product is, for your banner. Crop it so that it covers the width of blog's post body, and is short enough to allow the first paragraph of your latest post to show when the page loads -about 200 pixels is great. Try out different lengths and widths to see what works for you.
Add a few essential widgets:
Post Archive - a drop down list of all your post titles.
Bio - tell your readers who you are!
Follow by Email - let your readers get posts by email, so they don't have to go further than their inbox to get the latest updates from you. This is a great traffic booster.
Search Bar - this is really helpful for your readers to find the content they want.
Translate - allow your posts to be valuable and easily accessible to readers all over the world the a translation widget. Easy embed code is available from Google Gadgets.
Followers - The Google Friend Connect widget allows people to easily follow your blog and become avid readers.
HTML - This is a fully customizable blank widget for displaying third party code, like your Etsy Mini. Use it wisely.
Tags - Allow visitors to search through your posts on specific topics easily, as well as show your favorite topics at a glance.
See: Using tags.
Please, please, please do not use white or brightly colored text on a black background. It causes headaches and sends readers running. Using all italics, or centering the entire body of text, is also very difficult to read and not very attractive overall. If you treat your blog posts seriously, like an important magazine article, they will gain a lot more respect from readers.
Choose a Blogger template that works for you. Keep in mind that a narrow post area will mean that pictures will have to be smaller. Wider layouts allow you to wrap text around larger photos, and display full sized Collections or Treasury East screenshots.
You don't need 8 sidebars. One is fine. Two is pushing it, and should only be used if absolutely necessary. Remember that your post content is the most important part of your blog, and you don't need a zillion widgets to get your point across.
Choose one of your best product photos, or something that defines who you are and what your product is, for your banner. Crop it so that it covers the width of blog's post body, and is short enough to allow the first paragraph of your latest post to show when the page loads -about 200 pixels is great. Try out different lengths and widths to see what works for you.
Add a few essential widgets:
Post Archive - a drop down list of all your post titles.
Bio - tell your readers who you are!
Follow by Email - let your readers get posts by email, so they don't have to go further than their inbox to get the latest updates from you. This is a great traffic booster.
Search Bar - this is really helpful for your readers to find the content they want.
Translate - allow your posts to be valuable and easily accessible to readers all over the world the a translation widget. Easy embed code is available from Google Gadgets.
Followers - The Google Friend Connect widget allows people to easily follow your blog and become avid readers.
HTML - This is a fully customizable blank widget for displaying third party code, like your Etsy Mini. Use it wisely.
Tags - Allow visitors to search through your posts on specific topics easily, as well as show your favorite topics at a glance.
See: Using tags.
Please, please, please do not use white or brightly colored text on a black background. It causes headaches and sends readers running. Using all italics, or centering the entire body of text, is also very difficult to read and not very attractive overall. If you treat your blog posts seriously, like an important magazine article, they will gain a lot more respect from readers.
The blog of Beverly Ash Gilbert is a great example of
how a little decoration goes a long way.
The banner and sidebar items don't take away from
the amazing images and content of each post.
What Kind of Blog Will You Write?
Set the Tone of Your Blog
There are just as many blogging styles as there are bloggers, but most blogs can be placed into one of two categories: Journal or Magazine
Journalling is the original concept of blogs, where bloggers share a daily journal about their personal or work lives. These types of web-logs made the practice of writing and reading blogs popular, and are what many people think of when they picture a blog. Journals are also the most difficult to write, promote and maintain. It's a rare art form online.
In order to successfully write a journal or diary blog, you need to be or do something extraordinarily interesting to a lot of people, or have an existing audience. For example, if you're famous, people will want to know more about you and what you do every day. Or, perhaps you live in a small town, and your neighbors will appreciate reading your thoughts on the day's news and gossip.
A strong theme can also help a journal blog to work. A great example is The Julie/Julia Project, which centered around Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck. It eventually inspired a book, and a film adaptation starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. It doesn't get much more successful than that.
A magazine blog is not only easier to maintain, but is much more versatile, especially if you're trying to promote other things that you do online, like selling your handmade products. Just think of yourself as the editor of your very own magazine. You come up with topics, write the articles and produce the content.
You can write with dry professionalism, if that's also the tone of your business, but it's perfectly alright to write your posts with humor, and include your own unique personality. Think of newspaper and magazine columns, which are often witty and even down right personal.
Before starting a magazine blog, try to figure out who your target audience is, and plan posts that will engage those readers, and keep them coming.
Journalling is the original concept of blogs, where bloggers share a daily journal about their personal or work lives. These types of web-logs made the practice of writing and reading blogs popular, and are what many people think of when they picture a blog. Journals are also the most difficult to write, promote and maintain. It's a rare art form online.
In order to successfully write a journal or diary blog, you need to be or do something extraordinarily interesting to a lot of people, or have an existing audience. For example, if you're famous, people will want to know more about you and what you do every day. Or, perhaps you live in a small town, and your neighbors will appreciate reading your thoughts on the day's news and gossip.
Her Five Year Diary is a journal blog with a twist.
Posts feature daily journal entries from the 1960's.
A strong theme can also help a journal blog to work. A great example is The Julie/Julia Project, which centered around Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck. It eventually inspired a book, and a film adaptation starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. It doesn't get much more successful than that.
Already Pretty is a hybrid of journaling and a magazine blog.
Author Sally McGraw blends daily outfit posts with style and body image advice for women.
A magazine blog is not only easier to maintain, but is much more versatile, especially if you're trying to promote other things that you do online, like selling your handmade products. Just think of yourself as the editor of your very own magazine. You come up with topics, write the articles and produce the content.
You can write with dry professionalism, if that's also the tone of your business, but it's perfectly alright to write your posts with humor, and include your own unique personality. Think of newspaper and magazine columns, which are often witty and even down right personal.
Before starting a magazine blog, try to figure out who your target audience is, and plan posts that will engage those readers, and keep them coming.
Honestly...WTF is an excellent example of a magazine blog,
with highly visual posts on a variety of style and fashion topics.
Your Topic is Essential
Find Your Focus
LOLCats are the fart jokes of the Blogosphere
You must
choose a focus for you blog and
STICK
TO
IT.
If you start a blog about Mixed Media Art Dolls, and write some great posts, and get a few followers, those readers will expect you to continue on that path. It's better not to disappoint. If you frequently find yourself wanting to post about your cat, you may want to consider starting a pet blog. This way, your cat posts will be seen by people who are genuinely interested in cats, and your doll posts will be seen by people interested in dolls.
It is possible to write a great blog on a myriad of random topics, but it takes skill and finesse. If you truly love to write, and have lots of interesting things to say about lots of unique topics, then go for it. If not, choose one topic and STICK TO IT.
These are just a few examples of how to define your blog's focus. What you want to do is find a topic that you can tie in to your shop, but that also has potential for good reading.
If you only write about the products that you sell, no one will read your blog. If you write about related topics that are of interest to people like you, and to the people who buy from you, you'll have plenty of readers who would love to look around your shop.
Here's a great quote from Kellbot:
"There's also a lot of chatter about twittering/blogging, and whether those are good at driving sales. Yes and no. If you have something interesting to say, eventually people will read it, and if you've got your products showcased next to what you're saying then it's free advertising.
But starting a blog and just posting when you list a new item isn't interesting to anyone except you."
On Inspirational Beading every post ties in to beads, jewelry or art inspiration.
So readers know what to expect and where to find what they need.
Post Often
Stay Relevant
It isn't necessary to post every single day. In fact, this would be counter-productive for an ArtFire or Etsy blog. You need to find a good balance between blogging, running your shop, and making new product. Three to four posts per week is a great maximum, and will keep your views from plummeting down to nothing. If you're really serious about having a successful blog, post at least once every week.
If you're the kind of person that thrives on schedules and to-do lists, create a calendar and plan out your posts on a weekly or monthly basis. You don't have to follow it to the letter, but it helps to have an idea of what you want to write about so that you can plan ahead.
If deadlines make you want to procrastinate even more, don't try to force posts. Think of a fun and easy segment that you can do often - like a themed treasury - and try to create a post about it every week. Then fill in the rest of the week with spontaneous posts.
See: Easy Post Tools
A Bead a Day has a very uncomplicated layout with no frills.
But it has regular posts and well over 500 followers.
Promote Others
Share the Love!
Promoting others can be a great way to keep your content interesting. It also creates a lot more exposure for you blog, since the people you feature will usually come to check it out. Sometimes they'll even tell their friends.
There have been many opinion poll threads in the seller forums about asking permission before featuring someone on your blog. Most sellers don't mind being featured without being asked first, but they really want to know about it after the fact!
If you are going to borrow images from another shop, it's very important to give proper credit, and to help protect the content you're using. You should include a disclaimer somewhere on your blog. Use it to inform readers that all content is under copyright of the writers/artists, and invite featured artists to contact you to remove pictures if necessary.
See: Using Photos
The Etsy Miniblog is all about promoting others.
Each category features the Etsy Minis of great, active shops.
Do you have an shop related blog?
If you're already blogging to promote your shop, how have you been doing so far?
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Using Tags
Organize Your Blog Posts
A typical tag cloud, and an example of a color DON'T
- They help to categorize your content.
- Using them creates helpful links to all related posts.
- They are highly visible by search engines.
One of the worst things a blogger can do is use tags recklessly. They don't just explain what that particular post is about. Every time you use a tag, it will be linked to previous posts that also use it. If you go crazy with them, your readers will have a hard time finding similar content to enjoy.
Keep your tags simple. Single words or short phrases are best. They should also be general, so that you can use them again and again.
For example, let's say your blog is about fashion for moms. One day, you find a really nice photo of Angelina Jolie on a tabloid site, and she's wearing a great mom ensemble. You post a screenshot of the story, and write a blurb about it.
Using Angeline Jolie as a tag might be great for SEO, but it doesn't do your blog any good in the long run. If the chances of you ever blogging about her again are slim to none, that tag will never be used again, and it will get buried.
Using Celebrity as a tag is great in this case, because you might post about other famous moms in the future. Then your readers can check out all of the posts you've done about celebrities with just one click.
On the other hand, if your blog is about celebrity fashion, go ahead and use names as tags. You are much more likely to write about the same person more than once, and your readers will appreciate being able to search for posts about their favorite people.
If you plan to create regular segments - like Treasury Tuesday, or Friday Finds - it's also a good idea to use the titles as tags. Most blog tags can have capital letters, so you can use upper case to make your special topics stand out in your tag cloud.
The Etsy Business Tips blog uses a handful of simple category tags.
The author also has a small link list of regular segments,
which links to the tag searches for each.
Using Photos
Make Your Posts Visual
Just because you can take something,
doesn't mean you should.
Promote whatever you borrow.
Whether you get your images from a public source, or you upload them from your own computer, there is an ideal way to use photos that requires a tiny amount of effort.
Simply uploading pictures to your blogging platform and leaving it at that, isn't enough. It's really easy, but it doesn't really help your blog, or the places that your images come from.
Using images correctly will not only improve the visibility of your blog with search engines, but it will help to promote whatever you are writing about. All you need is a few simple lines of HTML. You don't need to memorize them. Just copy and paste them into a text file for easy reference.
I recommend using Photobucket for borrowed images, because you can lock your albums. This will help protect images from people who might use them and not give credit where it's due. There is a big difference between borrowing and stealing.
Each host that you use will provide a simple URL to use when embedding images. You want the "Direct Link" or "Image Only" link in most cases. Some hosts will provide embedding code, but you can adjust it for your needs.
Decide where you want the photo to go, and paste in the following code in the HTML editor tab of your post editor:
<img src="YourImage" alt="ImageTitle" title="ImageTitle">
Replace YourImage with the photo's URL. Replace ImageTitle with a unique name for your picture. If you are borrowing the image, include the name of the person or site that it belongs to. This code will create a hover caption, and default text if your image fails to load. It also helps search engines to find and catalog your pictures.
Want to make your picture a link back to the source? Use this code:
<a href="Destination URL" target="_blank"><img src="YourImage" alt="Image Title" title="Image Title"></a>
You can make the picture centered within your post like this:
<p align="center"><img src="YourImage" alt="Image Title" title="Image Title"></p>
Replace <p align="center">& with slightly different code to make the text wrap around your images.
Left alignment: <p style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px;">
Right alignment: <p style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 10px 10px 10px 10px;">
Don't forget to put the </p> at the end. Your text should begin right after this code for a neat wrap.
</p>Like this.
When you don't have a lot to say, pictures make a post pop.
When you have lots to say, pictures help to
break a post up into digestible pieces.
Linking and SEO Tips
Search Engine Optimization
To make short - and long - posts juicier, you can include links to relevant websites that prove or accentuate your topic's main points. Using anchor text - words that are also links - not only makes for a neater, more interesting blog post, but they also help search engines catalog your content.
Never, ever use Click Here as a link. If you add a link to an actual word or phrase from your text, it's like an SEO highlighter.
To add a link to a line of text, go into the HTML editor of your blogging platform and add this code:
<a href="Destination URL" target="_blank">Line of Text</a>
The target="_blank" code makes the link open in a new tab or window, and prevents readers from loosing track of your blog. Many third party widgets and links - like your Etsy Mini - don't include this code, but you can easily add it by hand.
You can also add a hover caption to your links like this:
<a href="Destination URL" target="_blank" title="SiteName">Line of Text</a>
The websites that you choose to link to should be of high quality. The more value they already have with search engines, the more value they will add to your own blog. Well known domains like ArtFire.com, Etsy.com, Wikipedia.org and Blogger.com are all high quality, or course. Use your own discretion when linking out.
You can also highlight important bits of text by making them bold. Use bold text tastefully though, or your readers could become really irritated with you.
Etsy's official blog, The Storque, is a good place to see examples of well-used anchor text.
Each link not only highlights important information within the text,
but also links to a relevant resource for further reading or viewing.
Easy Post Tools
Blogging for Busy Sellers
- Flickr
- Many Flickr members allow their images to be used digitally. You can find an inspirational, funny, or interesting picture, and write a short blurb about it. Just click the Share button and look for Grab the HTML. You must use all of the code to comply with the Flickr Terms of Use. Don't forget to insert the target="_blank" code to make the links open in a new window.
- Big Huge Labs
- There are lots of fun ways to use your own Flickr photos or your favorites with this site. One of the most popular is the Mosaic Maker, which creates an instant collage. It also provides the code so that you can easily link back to the image owners.
- Polyvore
- This collage tool is great for quick fashion posts, and you can embed your creations right on your blog. Bonus points if you make a matching handmade or vintage Etsy treasury, too!
- Deviant Art
- Depending on the type of platform that you use, you can embed your favorite images from Deviant Art in blog posts. There are plenty of amazing drawings, photographs and other art forms that you can use as eye-candy for your blog.
- You Tube
- People love tutorials. Share your favorite how-to video by embedding it into a blog post.
- ArtFire Collections
- Curate a fun and beautiful collections of artisan creations to share with your readers. You can add items to your collection editor right from the listing page, and even submit your creation for a feature on the front page of ArtFire.com.
If you want to skip screenshots and HTML, all Collections also come with pre-made widgets for display on blogs and websites. - Treasury East
- Make a beautiful treasury and share it on your blog. Read Sharing Etsy Treasuries with Windows XP and Vista and Sharing Etsy Treasuries with Windows 7 for helpful tips.
- Bloggers Unite
- This isn't a tool, but a source of inspiration. Have a look at all of the great blogging causes and write a post to promote it!
On TrashCat, short, simple posts rule.
You don't need to write a novel or know the latest news first to have a great blog.
Just featuring a great find or a favorite artist can draw a lot of attention.
Favorite Blog Posts
There are lots of great ways to draw readers and followers to your blog. If you read other people's blogs, you probably know about most of them already.
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After 30 Blog Posts
Publishing 30 quality blog posts is a great milestone to reach for. Here are a few things you should do when you get there:
-
Earn some advertising dollars. After 30 posts, you can set up your blog to display Project Wonderful ads. They don't make much money, especially if you have fewer than 500 daily page views. But the few cents a day that you may earn, can easily be used to buy ad space for your Etsy shop.
-
Add a Link Within widget to revive older posts and reduce your bounce rate. You'd be surprised how many extra page views this little tool can get you, and it's a cinch to install.
-
Allow readers to subscribe to your blog by email. You can easily set up a Feedburner account through Google, and add a widget to your sidebar that will email your posts directly to readers. Remember to always include a copyright and backlink at the bottom of each post!
- Keep creating fantastic posts!
Blogging Tips
A Few Basics DOs and DON'Ts
-
Don't spam Twitter, Facebook or forum threads with your blog. Put as much finesse into promoting your blog as you do in writing it, and people will come to read.
-
You can upload your posts to the Notes section of your Facebook profile or business page, but it won't bring any more visits to your actual blog. Link to really important posts on your Wall instead.
-
Always place a back link to your main blog address or About page at the bottom of every post. This will prevent some types of RSS piracy, and ensure that any feeds of your blog will always link back to you. Like this:
Copyright 2010 Blogging for Etsy Sellers
You don't need to include the target="_blank" code in this case.
-
Don't link to your blog or other social networking sites from your shop announcement. Save the space for more important information. People who really want to see your off-Etsy content will know to look for it in your Profile, Bio, or Market Hub.
-
Take a good look over your blog every few months, and delete any widgets, buttons or other extras that aren't working for you anymore. Keep it tidy and up to date.
-
Never, ever delete a blog post once it has been published. Any feeds or incoming links to the post will not redirect to your blog, and you'll loose a valuable backlink, not to mention annoy anyone that linked to your post. If you must remove content for any reason, delete the text and replace it with a short message and link to your main page. Like this:
This post has been removed by the author. Visit Blogging for Etsy Sellers to see related posts.
-
Once you have a handful of quality posts, grab yourself the Link Within widget. It shows thumbnails of related posts from your blog, and greatly reduces your bounce rate.
- Just in case you missed it the first time: don't use white text on a black background. Ever.
ArtFire Blog Tips
How to Use the ArtFire Studio Blog
Pro sellers on ArtFire are equipped with a handy built-in blog to promote and enhance their shops. The platform is not as user friendly as some of the other sites like Blogger and Wordpress, but once you get used to it, it's easy to add your own unique articles to boost your shop, your products, and your brand.
ArtFire bloggers also have the option to feed their posts to HandmadeNews.org, to help increase traffic. Some articles are also shared on Twitter.
Here are some basic tips to keep in mind when using the ArtFire blog:
Type out and proof-read your posts in a word processor before you post. (You should do this with all blogs, but it is especially important here.) Copy and paste the text into the blog editor, then add links and pictures where you want them.
The ArtFire blog uses categories instead of tags, and they are listed in the order they are created. Like other blog tags, these should be straightforward and relevant.
If you use Facebook, you can connect your ArtFire blog to Networked Blogs, and allow people to follow your posts. These can also be fed directly to your personal or business wall, and to Twitter from the app by following the instructions for "syndication".
If you write blog posts that are timeless and continuously relevant to your studio as a whole, such as articles on how best to use your products, create a left side widget for you studio with links to past posts, so readers can easily browse them. This is also a great place to discreetly promote your products.
If you are blogging about a product in your shop, be sure to include a photo and at least one link so that readers can easily find the item. Simply posting photos will not bring in the views you want.
To quickly and easily share photos from your listings, right click on the image that you want to use, and copy the image location or address. You can use the "Add Image" button (tree icon) to insert the photo, or use the photo HTML provided above.
Images that are 500px wide are ideal for the ArtFire blog. Text wrapping is not recommended.
ArtFire bloggers also have the option to feed their posts to HandmadeNews.org, to help increase traffic. Some articles are also shared on Twitter.
Here are some basic tips to keep in mind when using the ArtFire blog:
Type out and proof-read your posts in a word processor before you post. (You should do this with all blogs, but it is especially important here.) Copy and paste the text into the blog editor, then add links and pictures where you want them.
The ArtFire blog uses categories instead of tags, and they are listed in the order they are created. Like other blog tags, these should be straightforward and relevant.
If you use Facebook, you can connect your ArtFire blog to Networked Blogs, and allow people to follow your posts. These can also be fed directly to your personal or business wall, and to Twitter from the app by following the instructions for "syndication".
If you write blog posts that are timeless and continuously relevant to your studio as a whole, such as articles on how best to use your products, create a left side widget for you studio with links to past posts, so readers can easily browse them. This is also a great place to discreetly promote your products.
If you are blogging about a product in your shop, be sure to include a photo and at least one link so that readers can easily find the item. Simply posting photos will not bring in the views you want.
To quickly and easily share photos from your listings, right click on the image that you want to use, and copy the image location or address. You can use the "Add Image" button (tree icon) to insert the photo, or use the photo HTML provided above.
Images that are 500px wide are ideal for the ArtFire blog. Text wrapping is not recommended.
ArtFire Blogging Guides
Tips for Sellers
These guides were created by staff and marketing experts at ArtFire.com. You can apply much of these valuable tips to your ArtFire Studio Blog, and other blogging platforms, even if you want to promote shops on other venues.
- Social Media Guide to Blogging
- Is blogging right for you? This basic guide explains all of the details you'll want to know before you even brainstorm your first post.
- Studio Blogging Guide
- All Pro or Verified ArtFire members get their own blog, right in their shop. This guide explains the basics of creating posts, and how to submit them to HandmadeNews.org.
- ArtFire Blogs SEO
- How to understand and maximize Search Engine Optimization when posting to your Studio blog.
- Micro-Blogging
- This guide to creating effective Tweets can also give you plenty of inspiration for keeping your blogs up to date on a regular basis - even if you're not a writing wiz!
- SEO Beyond ArtFire
- How to maximize the value of backlinks that you create for your shop.
- How to Share ArtFire Collections
- Learn to create permanent, linked image of your ArtFire Collections on your blog.
Etsy Blogging Guides
Great Blogger Reasources
These articles on blogging for Etsy sellers will provide you with some extra ideas for writing great posts, finding and keeping followers, and making a name for yourself and your shop with blogging.
- Etsy's Guide to Blogging
- From the Storque
- Write a Better Blog 101
- From Unanimous Craft
- Totally Tutorials
- A list of blogging how-to's.
- Blogging Tips for Etsy Sellers
- From Bugs and Fishes
Blog Directories
Catalog Your Blog
Here are a few places where you can submit your blog and help spread the word about your amazing new content!
- The Craft Map
- Link up with other bloggers in your area by adding your blog to a Craft Map pin!
- Loaded Web
- A geographic-based directory to help local readers find you!
- BlogCatalog
- This is a social blog directory, meaning that there is an active member community. Keep in mind that you don't need to post all over the forums to be a member. Just getting the backlink is good for your blog.
- MyBlogLog
- Another social directory, MyBlogLog is a Yahoo product.
- The Handmade Directory
- This is an all-in-one directory exclusively for handmade content - like your Etsy blog!
- Crafty Tips
- If you can share a unique and valuable craft tip, you can submit your blog to be a permanent feature in this fun directory.
Important!
Top 5 Most Important Blog Tips
1. Dark text, light background.
2. If your platform allows it, always include: an email subscription link, a translation widget, and an archive.
3. When borrowing, promoting or sharing, always link back to your source.
4. Include a link to your blog's main page at the bottom of every post to protect you from RSS theft.
5. Use keywords in your titles, and avoid excessive punctuation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <--- Like that.
2. If your platform allows it, always include: an email subscription link, a translation widget, and an archive.
3. When borrowing, promoting or sharing, always link back to your source.
4. Include a link to your blog's main page at the bottom of every post to protect you from RSS theft.
5. Use keywords in your titles, and avoid excessive punctuation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <--- Like that.
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The Sage's Cupboard
Behind the scenes looks at the creation of handmad more...0 points
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adyculi
Feb 3, 2012 @ 10:13 am | delete
- Great lens. Thanks for sharing it!
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Wolfyy7
Dec 21, 2011 @ 7:57 pm | delete
- Great lense, thank you for sharing!
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earthybirthymama
Oct 31, 2011 @ 1:49 am | delete
- wow, you have put a lot of work into this Lense! It's one of my favourites.
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AllCoolStuff
Oct 25, 2011 @ 2:01 pm | delete
- This is fantastic info from U! thanks for taking the time to put it all.
With regular update of content on website, SEO helps to get more traffic.
Helped me to improve my skills!
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Scoopgal
Sep 19, 2011 @ 11:00 am | delete
- Great lens and very unformative. I just recently picked up an old hobby of mine again and am considering selling some ofmy pieces once I get about 10 or so done. I've been looking into ways to promote my items so thank you for your lens tips
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by Mortira
Mortira
Mortira: Beader, Designer, Blogger
The Sage's Cupboard: Vancouver Island, British Columbia, CA
Inspirational Beading: Find Your Inspiration
Many of my...
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