5 Things You Can Do for Your Blog Before New Year
With 2017 coming in less than 3 weeks, it’s the perfect time to give your blog a facelift and a little bit of organisation here and there to get you started for 2017. Here I’m going to show you 5 things you can do for your blog to start 2017 with a bang.
A new look
Ditch that months old design of yours with a brand new one. It doesn’t matter whether you created your own design or purchased a premade one as long as it’s a fresh new look for your blog.
If you’ve been thinking of taking the plunge or buying a domain name for a while, now is the right time to do so. Here’s a list of my favourite Blogger templates to get you started. I will make one for WordPress themes very soon.
An updated ‘About’ page and sidebar
It’s important to update your About page every few months as your info might be outdated. Maybe you just celebrated your birthday and you’re a year older or you’ve moved houses or your interests have changed so it’s a good idea to give it a little refresh once in a while.
If you didn’t know, your About page is the most visited page on your blog. Don’t trust me? Go check your stats right now. You can also take a new headshot for your About page and sidebar photo to make your blog looks even more professional.
Refresh or remove old contents
Your writing style might have changed over the year and some information on your old contents may be outdated so go ahead and update them. It’s also okay to remove contents that don’t feel relevant anymore.
I’ve removed around 10 posts after I migrated to WordPress so far because they are no longer suitable for my blog. By doing this, I can make sure that my contents are up to date and still relevant to my blog.
Declutter your followings
A few nights ago, I took a few hours to go through my Bloglovin’ followings and just unfollowed blogs that haven’t been updated for months and blogs with contents that I’m no longer interested in.
I went from following 600 blogs to just 200! I have yet to go through my Blogger followings but I will be doing that as soon as possible. It’s mind-blowing to know how many blogs that I don’t read anymore because I lost interest.
Plan, plan, plan!
If you’ve been planning on redoing and relaunching your blog, there’s no better time to do it than right now! Since I’ve only recently redid and relaunched my blog, I’m planning on organising my blog with a spreadsheet created by Hannah Emily Lane.
The spreadsheet has everything I will ever need to organise my blog and I’m so pumped to use it for 2017. You can use a physical blog planner too but I’m just going to use this spreadsheet ’cause it’s easier for me to access and I only have to fill in my blog information.
Here’s what you’re getting in the spreadsheet:
- Blog information + goals
- Post schedule
- Daily to do list (inspired by bullet journalling)
- Blog stats tracker + goals
- Post ideas log
- Finances tracker
- Guest post tracker
- Usernames
- References
- Contacts
I hope you enjoyed and do let me know what you’re planning to do for your blog before new year. Is it getting a brand spanking new design? Or is it finally getting your own domain? Comment down below!
Great! I can start to actually think what to do next for my blog.
yay! x
I am in the process updating my old posts to make it better & in my new way & was thinking about changing my blog’s look but I’m designing it myself so…., it takes time but thank you for this! It reminds me again & again
you’re welcome! x
Great post as always, and if it matters a fact, I already updated my “about page” <3
http://www.silverstories.dk
i saw it! great photo by the way x
Siqah dalam proses nak refresh and delete my old posts. Cuma rasanya tak sempat nak buat sebelum tahun baru 🙁 buat apa yang mampu jela. And thanks Erin for this post. Great post as always 🙂
takpe, asalkan post yang latest ok. post lama lama takpe boleh take time. thank you siqah! x
I’m thinking on buying domain name tapi tulah kene bayar yearly so I still thinking about it. haha, btw is it SEO is that important? I,ve checked my blog and I only got 42%
haha not expensive pun, 45 per year. every month kumpul 5 ringgit lol.
penting if you want people to find your blog through google search. jangan percaya sgt la website tu, bukan betul sgt pun.
Mira ada baca post erin kata sampai 60 tu yg teragak, kalau 45 bole la consider kut haha.
awh tenang sikit rasa bila erin ckp mcm tu haha
60 tu hosting for wordpress. sebab tu lagi berbaloi pakai wordpress kot sebab domain untuk blogger dah 45, wordpress tambah 15 ringgit je 🙂
oh i see. Thank you for the info! kalau ada pape mira tanya erin okay:)
I’m currently in the process of renewing my blog. I want to change my blog design, delete my unused content and all. Tapi memang tak sempat la before new year haha maybe bulan January tu baru nak update. Anyway nice post Erin! x
yay can’t wait to see your new blog design! thank you Dayana x
To have a premade template and my own domain are what I’m lusting after for the new year blogging resolutions. But I am too lazy to deal with the process. And it’s about the money, too. Lol.
lol it’s actually quite easy to get your own domain and design. make use of the free installation! save money from now haha
I have lots of plans and new years blogging resolution but all of them requires money, lol. But ayyy thanks for making this post, Erin! Now I have some ideas on what to do with my blog before 2016 ends hihi 🙂
haha i feel you. to have a nice blog you need to fork out a lot of money for design, domain etc.. you’re welcome! glad i could help x
I really want to improve my blog in 2017 so thanks for all the tips! i haven’t updated my about me page in forever. I’m pretty sure it’s said “to be updated” for about a year lol. Thanks for all the tips!
Mili | Sharmtoaster
we tend to forget that the About page exists lol. you’re welcome Mili! x
Wow, I started reading this post this morning and then spent the rest of the day redesigning my blog!! You inspired me to give it a makeover and now I’m really pleased with it!
Rhi x
http://www.rinkydinkyrhi.com
Awww your blog looks so nice! So glad I could help x
this post very helpful as you inspired me to have a new blog design but am not sure yet.
take your time to find the perfect design. nanti takdelah rasa nak tukar selalu 🙂
it’s true! there’s no use of getting a domain if you can’t commit. rasa membazir nanti. better spend it on a design. you’re welcome! x
omg i checked my followers list and youre still following me 😮 thank you <3
lol welcome! x
Yes girl. Planning is everything. If i didn’t pre photograph and pre write stuff and have to do lists i wouldn’t know how i’d survive blogging.
http://www.themakeupaficionado.com
ikr! creating a blog post is seriously no joke.
Love your ideas! Very helpful. I definitely need to do all of these come the new year. I want a complete refresh x
Lauren | itslaurenvictoria.blogspot.co.uk
glad i could help! x
Absolutely amazing ideas, truly inspiring, I love your blog, thank you for sharing!!!
xxx
http://www.bridesonamission.com
http://www.supercarmission.com
Thank you so much Nora! x
This was so helpful! In January I’m actually planning on “spring cleaning” my blog, I’m so ready to update my contact pages and get a whole new design. x
Kathryn | Chapters of Kat
Can’t wait to see your new design! x