Get Out the Mop and Duster: It’s Time for a Spring Clean by Annmarie Miles

Let’s welcome back monthly columnist Annmarie Miles as she shares with us about “Get Out the Mop and Duster – It’s Time for a Spring Clean.” Enjoy!

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Spring has sprung! Well it has in my part of the world. 🙂 The daffodils are out, the days are a bit longer and summer’s coming. Traditionally this is a time when a lot of people do a clear out. It’s off to the Garden Centre or the DIY shop to spruce things up.  For some it’s emptying out the cupboards and a splash of paint on a wall or two.

We bloggers have to add something to that to-do list. It’s time to give the blog everything you have in the once-over department. I find if I do this every year, it doesn’t take too long and it keeps everything fresh and up to date.

So, where do you start…? 

About Who?

Have a look at your about page and see if it is still about you. Maybe you’ve achieved a few things since you last updated. There could be projects that you’re no longer involved and the information needs to be taken out.

You should make sure that the photo still looks like you. If you haven’t got a photo in, now’s the time. 

Mix it up, or add something new

Make sure it’s easy for people to follow you and/or find you in other places. Think about how many clicks it takes a person to follow your blog, or find you on Twitter. Do you use tags and categories? Be sure that all posts are in a proper category. In WordPress, you can search for anything in ‘uncategorised’ – if there’s anything there, move it to its proper category.

Think about a new function or button for your blog. Is it time to add an extra page, about your publications or services etc? 

Theme

I wouldn’t change the theme every year. I want return visitors to know immediately that they’ve landed on my blog. But if your blog is a few years old and you’ve never changed the theme, then maybe it’s worth considering. I am not very good with Blogger, but on WordPress you can view how a new theme would look, without committing to it. Not all of them are free, but many are.

One thing to watch out for is if you have widgets on the side or bottom of the blog. Not all themes use them, so be careful. 

Check your links

This is something I try to do more than once a year. I think dead links on a blog are really frustrating. So… check all the links on your widgets, and on your About page. If you have a Blogroll make sure each of these blogs is still active.

I have a list of guest posts I’ve written, I check they still exist. On one occasion, two had disappeared so I contacted the blog owners. One had a new link and one had been removed; so I changed my list accordingly.

It’s harder when there are links on older posts, but I try to go back as far as I can just to check.

Every blog needs a brush up at times. Have a look at some of your favourite blogs and see what makes them sparkle. And when you do, make sure to invite your readers to take a look and let you know what they think.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Annmarie Miles, part time writer, full time believer is 40something, Irish, Christian, married, and proud to be all of those things. She loves words, music & chocolate! You can find out all about her and her book “The Long & The Short of It” at the new website: www.annmariemiles.com.
Where to find Annmarie:
Email: amowriting@gmail.com
Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/amowriting
Google+: auntyamo
Twitter: @amowriting
Personal Blog: www.auntyamo.com
Writing Blog: www.annmariemiles.com/blog