Thursday, July 25, 2013

Bucket Listed | Create A Popular Blog


Last year I was VERY into putting together different posts of things I'd like to complete throughout my lifetime. A lot of people would probably call my lists "Bucket Lists" and that's just fine with me. I like to call them Life Goals, but really there's very little difference. Anyway, today I want to share with you a Life Goal that I feel I've completed: Create A Popular Blog. Now to clarify, when I first started blogging in February of 2012 I really had no clue what blogging was all about so I just wrote posts for myself and for the fun of it. I still keep this concept as I'm writing the posts that go out each week. I write about things I love, things I'm doing, and things I want to do. It's a great system and obviously it's paid off without me having to try very hard! I love blogging and have really enjoyed this past year and a half where I've been able to post a lot of great recipes, DIY tutorials and so much more!


In the very beginning & even still now, I don't blog to gain followers or build my reader audience. My purpose behind blogging was to give me something to do after my car wreck so that I felt like I still had some importance in the world. I couldn't work a job, I really wasn't able to go out much, and I had to drop out of college right after the wreck (I did try going back the summer and again in the fall after the wreck but that was very challenging and caused more stress than I could handle so I had to give it up completely). Having my blog gave me something to focus on and work on and in the beginning months of my blog I didn't do much with it because I didn't really understand everything. When I finally quit college for good I had a lot more time to focus on it and started to realize how much I loved blogging.


As I would learn something new I would try to apply it to my blog. Since my blog begain the style has had a few changes to it, but over all, in the last 6 months or so, it's stayed pretty much the same with only minor differences. The black 'header' was the first one I ever attempted to make. Some of my old posts still have writing on the photos in the black & peach colors. It didn't take me long to decide I didn't like the way that looked so then I switched to the all black & white one but that too wasn't a favorite so I moved on to the white & green header. I think that was up for a few months but then I discovered picmonkey.com (a great source for editing photos! You can use it for free or sign up for the yearly price and get all the features!) so I created the denim & cardboard header. I really liked that...but eventually I figured out how to add my own custom sidebar for the pages so I moved on again to the all denim look...which has been around for almost a year now if not more. I really like the denim & white and will probably be keeping that for quite some time!


Another thing that was a learning experience for me was creating a blog button. The peach one was the very first one I made. I made it on the Paint program on my computer. The second one I made from a piece of fabric on a photo I had, but it was never used on the blog. The third was around much longer and was only replaced when I decided to go from a whole bunch of fonts down to three which is when the last one came it.


When I first started blogging I shared an occasional recipe, a few DIY projects, and some DIY homemade things...many of those posts are still wildly popular today...possibly because they've  been around for awhile. I eventually started up a few series on the blog. The Wednesday Weekly Review is one that is still alive and kicking today with over thirty published posts and quite a few sitting on schedule waiting for their publish dates to arrive!

At least once every month I receive a comment from a new reader and they say they love that I have such a wide variety of posts to share and that they really like that about my blog. I'm always glad to hear this because I DO cover a lot of different subjects. I love hearing reader(s) feedback period! It's always nice to know that someone is enjoying the posts that I put so much effort into.

This past week has been a really awesome week for Blue Eyed Beauty Blog. We reached over 400 followers on Google Friend Connect, hit 184 on the Facebook fan page, 48 on Feedburner, and 240 on Bloglovin! Not only that but BEBBlog was featured on several other blogs throughout this past week. It almost felt like it was "Feature Blue Eyed Beauty Blog" week!! Here are some of the places BEBBlog was recently featured:


I shared the recipe Blueberry Crumble Muffins on Inspire Me Wednesday which is run by Mel @ Mama Buzz. I was SO thrilled when I went to link up yesterday and saw that it was a featured post! View the post where my recipe was featured.


Awhile back I swapped buttons with Marigolds' Loft and just this past Monday she put out a feature post which included a bit about my blog! I was so honored I had to add the featured button to my sidebar right away! View the post here.


Just yesterday not only one but TWO of my posts were featured on the Wednesday's Adorned From Above Hop! They were the DIY Car Emergency Kit and Cooking For 2 | Baked Potato Casserole. I was really surprised to find a feature and even more surprised when I saw the double feature! Wow! :) View the post where both of these posts were featured.


Last week my Coconut Almond Granola recipe was featured on the T.G.I.F. Link Party hosted by A Peek Into My Paradise! I had no idea so many people would want to check out a homemade granola recipe! :) View the post where I was featured.


And last, but surely not least, my recipe for Helen's Homemade Granola was featured on the HomeAcre Hop @ Summers Acres. We talked a bit through email about making granola and how it never seems to stay in the house very long because you want to eat it all the time! She liked that this recipe used brown sugar because so many of the recipes she saw called for honey. View the feature post here.

As I said, it's been an exciting week for Blue Eyed Beauty Blog and I've loved it! My 'featured' section on my sidebar has grown a little bigger and now we've reached 400 followers on GFC which I never thought would happen when I first started out.


I wanted to do one last thing before I close up this post. I wanted to show off the three Liebster Awards Blue Eyed Beauty Blog has received. One was given to me by each of these ladies and it was greatly appreciated: Julie @ Hey Mommy, Chocolate Milk gave me my first award in October of 2012, Carolyn @ The Diary of a Tall Girl gave me my second award in November 2012, and Nicole @ This Is The True Story gave me my third award which was also given in November, but I didn't get my post up until January 2013. I went over 200 followers somewhere around January and didn't qualify for the award anymore since you have to have less than 200 followers in order to receive it.

I feel very blessed to have so many great followers & readers on my blog & I love getting to email you and chat with you about the different subject I write about plus SO much more! :) Thank you all for being apart of my "Create A Popular Blog" experience! You're wonderful!

"Firsts" & "Important's" of BEBBlog's History

2012
September 2012: Month With The Most Posts (115)

2013
July 15, 2013 First post of everything Hubby & I
July 24, 2013 BEBBlog hit 400 Followers!
July 29, 2013 First Blog Giveaway!

I hope you enjoyed looking over the different things that have helped this blog grow!


GIVEAWAY COMING SOON!
This coming Monday BEBBlog will he holding it's very first Giveaway. I will be giving a Grand Prize to ONE winner of a blog makeover with new custom header, button w/grab box, signature, and social media icon set. TEN winners will be given a 3 Month Blog Ad Space on Blue Eyed Beauty Blog! Be looking forward to that and be sure to stop by and enter! Lots of opportunities to gain points especially if you already follow me on the blog via GFC, facebook, twitter, pinterest, rss or bloglovin!

7 comments:

  1. Congratulations on all your accomplishments! You're very inspirational for any of us new bloggers and I hope to one day achieve this! Thanks for sharing and continued success!! :)

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    1. Thank you Mary! You are sweet. I'm glad I can be an inspiration.

      Helen

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  2. Way to go on the awards! I stumbled onto your blog through my quilting bloglist - but as a newly converted Apostolic Pentecostal in the last year, I am LOVING all that I have learned from you on those topics! Keep up the posting & I'll keep up the learning :)

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    1. That's wonderful! Feel free to email me with any questions! :) (mrshelenstafford {at} yahoo {dot} com)

      Helen

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  3. How many hits do you get a day on your blog Helen?! How many monthly hits?

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    1. Yeserday page hits: 916. I think that's a little high. Usually it runs between 500-700+. Pageviews last month total: 16,732.

      Helen

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  4. Look at you girl! I think your blog is almost as amazing as you are. You have always been so encouraging on your posts and to all other bloggers. You deserve all the success that you have achieved. :)

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