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Hey ya’ll,
As you can see by the title, I’m trying to start a Portfolio/Blog. I’m using Wix to host it. Does anyone have any tips or advice on making an engaging website, and what it should/shouldn’t include? Also, when you have a blog, I’ve read that you should stick to one topic, is that true?? Or can I write about anything I think people would find interesting, not just writing about writing? I don’t know if that makes sense.
If any of you have blogs or websites maybe I could visit them to get a feel for what it should be like, because I really don’t have any idea…😂😂
Thanks and God Bless,
@joy-caroline,@gracie-j, @devastate-lasting, @keilah-h, @writerlexi1216, @nanisnook, @issawriter7, @mkfairygirl, @abigail-m, @jenwriter17, @lydia-s, @when-i-see-the-kingdom, @ilena-louise, @daisy-torres, @jodi-maile, @lucy, @scripter-of-kingdoms, @seekjustice, @lewilliams, @e-k-seaver, @kathleenramm, @g_c_al, @millennium, @wyn-rose, @kayleigh-idea, @not-so-secret-secret-assassin, @elfwing, @relia, @molly
INFJ/ChristianFiction/ IceCreamAddict/ StarGazer/ https://lamplighterletters.wixsite.com/mysite-1
Hey! I’ve never tried using Wix before so I can’t give you any specific advice regarding that, but I have been maintaining a blog for almost 5 years at this point.
As to what you can write about…well, people often suggest just writing about one topic, because that way anyone who stumbles on your blog will immediately know whether or not they’re likely to be interested in sticking around. It also makes it easier to grow your platform because you can connect to people that have similar topics and draw their audience into your own blog as well. Having said that, I’ve had pretty good success with flexible topics. I haven’t got a huge platform by any means, but I’ve managed to carve a nice little niche out. I keep my topics fairly connected. As a general rule, I talk about stories and throw in a few lifestyle/reflection type posts. Mostly I talk about books and writing, but I also talk about other mediums, such as musicals and movies and what we can learn from them. So it’s all kind of loosely connected, but I don’t limit myself to only talking about writing or only talking about books.
Here’s the link to my blog if you want to check it out ☺️ anordinarypen.wordpress.com I think is correct.
INFP Queen of the Kingdom commander of an army of origami cranes and a sabre from Babylon.
That’s so exciting, @maryg3! I’d recommend figuring out who your target audience is, and writing on topics that interest them. I definitely think it’s important to have a home page, blog page, contact, and about page at least. I also recommend doing some branding work, like figuring out your blog’s mission, target audience, plan content, and also plan out your brand colors. Hope that helps! So excited for you! 😀
I'm a Kapeefer 'TIL WE'RE OLD AND GREY!
www.jennaterese.com- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
- Total Posts: 1379
Ooh, that’s AWESOME! Def let me know when your blog launches, ’cause I’d LOVE to follow it! 😀
Okey doke, so here are my tops for starting a blog:
1) I second what @jenwriter17 said about the pages you need. Those are pretty much the ones that are essential. I decided to put my blog posts on my homepage, though, which works too! I would just add one thing – I definitely recommend having a page for your books – WIPs and the books you’ve published (i.e. Leo Goes to France). I also second the advice about brand colors. Mine is pastel green. I tried it months ago and loved it, so I kept that as my brand color. Basically I use it as the background to my website, my logo, and my Instagram feed.
2) About topics. I’ve actually had quite a journey with that since starting my blog XD I started off with just plain ol’ joycarolineauthor.com. Then I switched to discipleswhowrite.com when I decided I wanted people to see Christ and not me when they typed in my website name. Finally, just a couple days ago I found my home at discipleshipwithjoy.com, upon realizing that I’m called to make my website for everyone, not just writers. I intended Disciples Who Write to be just for writers, but the more and more I thought about it, the more and more I wanted my website to not be exclusive for writers. I’m very happy with Discipleship With Joy, because that’s definitely the direction I want to take – I want my site to be a fun place for everyone to hang out no matter if they’re a writer or reader or whatever. Moving forward, I’ll be posting what I call “fun, faith, writerly things, a bit of rambling, and opera glasses into my journey”!
That was pretty long. XD Basically what I’m saying is that it’s up to you. If you feel called to minister specifically to writers, that’s great! If you feel called to provide content for everyone (as I have discovered I am), that’s great, too!
3) Let yourself shine! That’s the best advice I can give to any blogger, as it will lead you to make the smartest decisions and make your site a place everyone can enjoy. Be yourself. Write posts, pages, and responses with your own distinct voice. 🙂
Yeah… that’s basically it! Let me know if you need anything else! And you’re always absolutely welcome to check out my site if it would give you some inspiration. <3
- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
- Total Posts: 1789
@maryg3 YES! I use Wix and I love it!!! You can check out my site at graceajohnson.com!
Anyway, I recommend having a home page, about page, contact form (or page), RSS feed button, social links, privacy policy, cookie banner, subscription form, etc., on a technical level. As for sticking to one topic, I’ve never heard of that before. I tend to blog about most anything, as long as it has a bookish or spiritual slant. I wouldn’t stick to just one topic, but maybe pick a “genre” (books, for example) and then see what comes of it – reviews, interviews, blog tours, blog tags, rants about your favorite/least favorite books. Or, for writing, progress reports and updates, tips and tricks, fun stuff like character interviews and sneak peeks.
You should definitely check out eccoltonauthor.wixsite.com/quillofhope and mayajt.wordpress.com/ for inspiration!
Oh, and what Jenna said!
Yeah, I hope that helps. My wells of advice have kinda run dry after vacationing in the summer sun. XD
Thank so much!! You’re advice on topics was very helpful! I will definitely keep in mind what I want my target audience to be! Your blog was really neat! Thank you for sharing:)
Thank you for your tips, especially on branding and colors and figuring out a mission!! Oh, sorry if this is a stupid question but what did you mean by ‘plan content’?
@joy-caroline
First off, your website was SO cool! I took the quiz on there and got Temira!! The quiz was such an awesome feature!!
Thank you! Your advice was all so very helpful! Especially on who I want to minister to! I know I what to target YA, but I also want anyone to be able to enjoy my website!
@gracie-j
Your website and the ones you sent me were VERY helpful! I like what you said about having a bookish spiritual slant because that’s what I’m going for! Oh no, all your advice was Great!! Thank SO much!! Also, your website was Beautiful!☺️
INFJ/ChristianFiction/ IceCreamAddict/ StarGazer/ https://lamplighterletters.wixsite.com/mysite-1
@maryg3 I just meant like planning out blog posts ahead of time, writing them ahead of time, etc. It’s always easier to be on top of that and knowing what content you’re going to publish on your blog ahead of time than scrambling for ideas lol. I don’t know if Wix has this feature, but with WordPress it’s nice to be able to write and schedule posts ahead of time. 🙂
I'm a Kapeefer 'TIL WE'RE OLD AND GREY!
www.jennaterese.comAhh! I see! Okay thank you! That IS very helpful! I will definitely do that!:)
INFJ/ChristianFiction/ IceCreamAddict/ StarGazer/ https://lamplighterletters.wixsite.com/mysite-1
I don’t have a blog, but my friends made something on Wix too! I’ve wanted to make one for my picture book series, but I haven’t. The one thing I did notice was that you talked about more than one topic. If you want to have multiple topics, I think you should probably have separate places to go for each one (if you can make that in a Wix blog)–like one for writing, one for drawing, one for animation, etc. (those are the ones I’d be interested, in, you can do whatever you like)
"When in doubt, eat cheese crackers."-me to my charries who don't even know about cheese crackers
- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
- Total Posts: 1789
@maryg3 Really? YAY!!! I’m so glad I could help!!!!! Oh, thank you! 🙂
Hi @keilah-h,
Okay! I will consider that! Thank you!!😊
INFJ/ChristianFiction/ IceCreamAddict/ StarGazer/ https://lamplighterletters.wixsite.com/mysite-1
- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
- Total Posts: 1379
Aw, thank you SO much! *claps hands* And you got Temira! She might just be my favorite character from TAS. (Next to Paul, of course. XD) She’s adorable.
I’m so glad I could help! Ooh, that sounds awesome! A fun website for teens would definitely be something many can enjoy.
@maryg3 Hi, Mary!!! 😀 That’s AWESOME that you’re going to start a blog!!!!!!!!!! You’ll LOVE it!!!!! Blogs are so much fun and a great way to connect with your readers!!!! For pages, definitely a home, about, and contact. If you want a separate “blog” page you can, or you can make your home page your blog page (which is what I do). You can get creative in designing your website! There are all sorts of things you can do to them. Yes, you can definitely write about anything you’d like on your blog! I’m the kind of person who likes variety, so on my blog ( https://www.teenwritersnook.com/ ) I have posts like writing tips, book reviews, inspirational, craft tutorials, etc. In my experience, having a variety of posts drew in more readers for my blog. I hope this helps!! 🙂 If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!!
"It looks like a fairy world"~Meg from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Fall in love with JesusHI, @mkfairygirl! Thank you SO much for your tips!! I’ll def check out your website for inspiration!:)
INFJ/ChristianFiction/ IceCreamAddict/ StarGazer/ https://lamplighterletters.wixsite.com/mysite-1
Oooo, CONGRATS!!! How exciting! XD
I do not have a blog at the moment, but from a reader’s perspective, I know my favorite articles are ones about the writer’s (or other writers’) book(s), whether that be memes, behind-the-scenes peeks, extra scenes, cover reveals, etc. I especially love fun stuff about the book (Covers, memes, character quizzes, etc) But, then again, as a die-hard fan of S.D. Smith, I love getting sneak peeks into his life, so your own die-hard fans will likely feel the same way! My article preferences might be influenced by the fact that I’m a writer myself, but I figured I’d put in my two cents. 🙂 Go get ’em, girl! 😀
Oh, and when you have your website up and running, please tell me! I’d love to check it out. 😀
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