XHTML, CSS, SEO, Web Design

The motivation you had when you first started your blog just isn’t there anymore. You don’t know what to write about, you feel no one is reading your blog and your layout has begun to depress you.

If you show any of these symptoms then you probably need something to motivate you and get you blogging again. Different people have many different methods of doing this. I will try and list some general ways to do it in this post.

Re-design your blog:
A good blog layout can help get you in the writing mood. A re-design of your blog can not only interest you, but it may also bring back some old readers and bring in some new ones. When you are designing your blog, make sure you are happy with your final result. In my opinion if you aren’t happy your readers probably won’t be either.

Get some tips:
There are several sites and blogs out there that offer tips, tutorials and help with blogging. If you see a tutorial you love, you will more than likely want to try it out and see what kind of results you get.

Read other blogs:
I love reading other blogs. It gets me in the writing mood and more often than not I learn something that I can use to improve my own blogging skills. Of course, it is also interesting and fun to read blogs you love.

These are some general points to help get your motivated.

I have been blogging properly now for about a month. I started my first weblog on Blogger, and although I had alot of plans for it, I never managed to get the blog of the ground. My second blog was on Wordpress. I managed to make a few posts, but most of them were pointless and uninteresting.

I decided to close that blog, and after a few weeks, I decided to start a new blog. A proper blog. This proved to be very difficult. I had no experience in building Wordpress themes, and my blogging skills were still very basic.

When I finally managed to build my own custom Wordpress theme, I began to blog! I found it to be highly enjoyable, and all the work I had put into my blog had payed off.

I have learned alot since I first started blogging, and I decided to write this post to share some of the things I have learned and hopefully help you out if you are planning on starting a blog.

Blogging Engines/Tools
There are many different tools out there that you can use for blogging. Some of the more popular blogging tools are Wordpress, MovableType and Blogger. I chose to use Wordpress for this blog as there are a huge amount of plugins available for it. If you wish to find out more about other blogging tools like MovableType, a simple Google search should produce a wealth of information.

Desiging a theme for your blog
I have talked about this briefly and I will continue to say that the design and layout of your blog is crucial. After doing a Google search, I found a few articles which are a great read.

I also found a great tutorial on how to build your own custom Wordpress theme. There is also a useful list of resources available which can be a big help.

If you think desiging your own Wordpress theme is too difficult, here re a list of websites that offer free Wordpress themes.

• WPDesigner
• Wordpress Themes
• Theme Viewer
• ThemesBase
• Free WP Themes
• SiteGround

Writing
Writing good content is a difficult skill to develop, and it’s not uncommon for people to find it difficult to write articles & entries for their blog. I found it a bit awkard at first as it felt like no one was reading my blog (and it still feels like that), but over time you will develop a group of loyal readers. Below are a list of websites that offer awesome tutorials and tips on how to write excellent content.

• ProBlogger
• WeblogTutorials

Here is an article that I found to be very good in particular.

If you want to improve your skills even more, one of the things that I find help alot is reading other blogs. You can learn alot by observing other peoples style of writing, and over time you will begin to develop your own style.

Although I have read many great blogs since my last blog of the moment, I have decided to announce FreelanceSwitch as my new blog of the moment.

I chose FreelanceSwitch because of the useful tips, tricks & tutorials it has to offer.

The blog focuses mainly on freelance web designers and its a great read for anyone looking to get into that field of work, or are currently in it. It has superb content and is an awesome read.

Be sure to check it out!

The layout and design of your blog can have a big impact on people. Many blogs use layouts that are extremely common. Although there is nothing wrong with this practice, it can have a bad effect on people who are visiting your blog for the first time.

When I’m browsing the Internet and reading blogs, I tend to take more interest in site’s that have unique and interesting designs. If I stumble upon a blog that is using a common template, I usually leave without reading the content. This is true with most people.

The next time you decide to re-design your blog, here are a few things to think about.

Layout - People can become tired of the content/sidebar layout. Make your next blog layout more interesting by playing around with the position of the content and links. However, it is probably best if you don’t stray too far from a familiar layout. It is important to know when to draw the line when designing your blog.

Colours - Choosing the right colours can be very difficult sometimes. Although, most people know when they have achieved the “perfect” balance of colours, some can take months to find the right match. This article might help you. You must also remember that colours can also have a big impact on people. Choosing a good colour scheme for your website can give a good first impression and convince people to stay at your blog.

Typography - Another important factor when designing your blog is typography. This can also be difficult to “perfect”, but if done correctly, it can have a positive effect on the person browsing your blog.

What I noticed about alot of blogs is that their design puts quite alot of emphasis on recent posts. The recent re-design of ProBlogger is great because not only does it focus on new posts, it also puts alot of focus on older posts, too.

The most important thing is to build a blog layout that you are happy with it. A good layout can be used as a motivation to write new blogs posts.

Good luck!

If you are tired of seeing your sidebar cluttered with an endless list of categories, perhaps it is time to start a new blog.

One of the things about readers is that they usually have a fair idea what your next post is going to be about. If you have a successful blog with a specific style, readers will begin to expect a certain standard and type of post.

If you want to start expressing yourself in a different way, then doing so on the same blog may cause some of your readers to leave.

If you do want to start expressing yourself in a different way, your best option is to start another blog. This can seem like a difficult thing to do, though. Starting a new blog will mean double the work.

However, maintaining more than one blog at once can also be an enjoyable experience and can have many benefits.

If you are an established blogger, most people who regurarly visit your site will more than likely visit your new blog too. Anyone who is good at making money from their blogs can also use their new weblog to increase their income.

If you do decide to start a new blog, make sure that you will be able to continue enjoying your other blogs.