As humans, we want to be good at the things we do, or at the very least we don’t want to be bad at them. That, of course, applies to blogging. In this post, I’m going to talk about how to improve your blogging skills, from writing to photography, from research to SEO, and more.

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Kate the (Almost) Great!™️! 

How To Improve Your Blogging Skills: 8 Skills You Need

Writing in general 

Why you need this 

Anyone can write a blog post. But writing an effective blog post, writing a good blog post, is a skill you need to develop. Here are a few reasons why.

One: If your writing is bad, people will stop reading. 

Two: If your writing is too technical, people will stop reading. 

Three: Your writing is an extension of yourself, and in terms of a blog, it’s how people know you. You are your writing first and your photos or videos second. So if your writing quality is bad, that’s all people will know about you, even if you’re really skilled in the topic of the blog.

Four: Blogs have a purpose, and if people leave your site after a few seconds because your writing isn’t up to snuff, then you can’t achieve your purpose. Your blog post’s purpose might be to educate people or sell them products or build community, but none of that will happen if people stop reading.  

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How to improve it 

Okay, now that we’ve covered why this matters, let’s talk about how to improve your blog writing skills. 

One strategy is to send your blog post to someone to review before you post them. Make sure it’s someone who is good at writing and who you trust. Have them review it and make suggestions. Over time, this will help you improve your writing skills because you’ll have someone giving you feedback on your writing. 

Another strategy is to take a class. It could be on improving writing skills in general or maybe on grammar, depending on what you think you need to work on.

Skillshare has over 3400 online classes about writing, and over 200 of those are about blog writing.  

Another strategy is to read the websites and blogs of people you admire. Reading helps improve writing, but you of course want to make sure it’s someone who is good at writing. 

You might also be interested in getting Grammarly. 

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Grammarly has a free plan, which covers grammar, spelling, and punctuation. The premium plan includes that and sentence rewriting help, adjustments to your tone if applicable, and the ability to help you pick the right word for your sentence, among other tools. (There is a business plan, too, but it’s more about multiple people using the same plan because, you know, business.) The premium plan is $12 a month. 

Grammarly can help you in your emails, word docs, and even social media. How cool is that?

At the end of the day, though, you will improve your writing by continuing to write. You get better at it by continuing to do it, not by stopping until you think you’ve mastered it. That’s a reason why I suggested Grammarly; it can help you work on your writing while you continue to write. 

Finally, check out all of my posts on blogging. I think some of those can really help you.

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Writing for different formats/audiences

Why you need this 

As a blogger, you write in a lot of different situations: for your blog posts, for your newsletter, on social media, via email to potential partners, and more. How you write for your blog posts will be different than how you write for your newsletter, and how you write for social media is different than how you write for potential partners in emails.

Not sold? Think of it this way: do you talk the same when you talk to your family, your friends, your boss, or your partner? They’re all different, whether that be in big ways or small ones.

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How to improve it 

This is another skill that you will improve on the more you do it, but in the meantime, there are some great free resources online. I suggest searching for writing great newsletters for your niche. 

Here are two tips that apply to all niches: 

1. Write short newsletters – definitely less than 500 words, but ideally under 300 words. 

2. Get people’s attention with the subject line and start your newsletter like people are probably going to delete it after the first sentence (because they probably are). 

As for social media, it’s important to understand that you want your social media to be part of your overall online/blogging strategy, but you don’t want it to be copy-and-pasted from your blog. 

For social media, you want to make sure that you can get your point across in 1 post. But, if you need multiple posts, then clearly indicate that in the first one, as well as in the other(s). 

Here are some tips for specific networks: 

Twitter: Be quick and to-the-point. Use hashtags, but not more than one or two. 

Instagram: Catch people’s attention in the first line. They may not even read your caption, so you want to say something at the start that will make them read it. 

Facebook: Again, be quick and to-the-point. 

Pinterest – People generally don’t read the caption, so you can just use the caption for an image description and put keywords in the caption. 

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Photography 

Why you need this 

You don’t need to be a photography expert, but you do need to know how to take good photos. Especially because a lot of blogging now is blogging and social media, of which the biggest one is Instagram.  

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How to improve it 

There are two main strategies: research tips online or take classes. 

There are so many free blog posts and articles with tips on taking great photos. For example, this article has 25 quick ways to improve your iPhone photography, and this one has 23 iPhone photography tips. 

But if you’re interested in getting a bit more in depth, there are also lots of classes available.

SkillShare has 1110+ classes on digital photography if you’re someone who uses a digital camera. If you use an iPhone, there are 300+ classes on iPhone photography.

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Photo editing 

Why you need this 

This doesn’t necessarily mean editing your pictures so they look good, although that’s a good idea. It also means editing photos so they promote your blog posts.

You want photos in your blog posts that go along with the post. You also want images that can be shared by people and get others to check out your posts, so you want images that have text in them. 

I make at least 2 images for each post, if not 3 or 4. A good rule of thumb is to have 1 image for each 350 words. I try to break up my text with images and calls-to-action by that same rule. I make my images using Photoshop Elements, and for each image, I make a version for the blog and a version for Pinterest. 

My blog images are a minimum of 600 pixels wide, but what works for Pinterest is images that are a minimum of 1000 pixels wide. So after saving a 600 px version, I save a 1000 px version. I also make a “preview” image, which is now primarily for social media. I just crop the white rectangle from the first image, which doesn’t take much time at all. 

You also need to make photos for social media.

Images help your social media posts stand out. Hootsuite says that on Facebook, “photo posts see much higher engagement than text posts” (x). Twitter says that “Bold images, GIFs, and videos add a touch of personality and increase results” (x). 

You don’t necessarily need images in every single post, and plenty of my tweets without images have done well. But when it comes to click-throughs, images are key. 

The other reason you need to know how to do it is because certain image formats do better on different networks. This means you need to know how to make a variety of types of images. 

Hootsuite has a cheat sheet of the best images for different networks, which is really helpful. For example, the minimum size an image should be in Twitter is 600×335 pixels, but the best size is 1600×1900 pixels. 

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How to improve it 

There are 1100+ classes on SkillShare for photo editing, so that’s an awesome start.

If you’re interested in the more specific Photoshop editing, SkillShare has 3000+ classes on that.

There are also 100+ classes on photo editing for blogs. 

If you’re looking for editing that helps you make images for your blog posts and/or social media, Canva is all you need. 

Canva has an absolutely incredible free plan, so you don’t need to pay to access their resources. But the most important thing about Canva is that all you have to do is select the type of image you want to make – pin, tweet, Facebook post, Instagram post, etc. – and they give you a properly-proportioned image to make that’s based on that network’s most popular images.

Canva also has a lot of free stock images that you can use in your images so you don’t necessarily need to take your own photos.

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Research 

Why you need this 

Integrity is very important as a blogger! So if you’re writing about a topic that is not purely your opinion, you should find sources for everything you say, especially everything you state as a fact. This is especially applicable for health bloggers.

For example, I need to share correct information and I need to back up the fact that it’s correct. It’s better to include a statistic on how many people have arthritis from 2015 than from 2000. Plus, if someone doubts that I’m saying the truth, if the source is linked in the post, they can verify that. This not only means they know the truth, but it also means that they can trust me in general. 

Integrity is key! 

What Blogging Platform Should I Use?

How to improve it 

Practice, practice, practice! 

In all seriousness, here are some ways that I research for my posts. 

A simple Google search is often what works best.

I don’t suggest searching the fact as you remember it because then you might just find a source backing up what you want instead of the correct fact. Instead, search in question format. For example, search “how long does it take to get an endometriosis diagnosis” instead of “it takes 10 years to get an endometriosis diagnosis.” 

Sometimes I Google things like “rheumatoid arthritis definition” if I want a source for a thing I already know. And yes, I know what RA is (I have it, after all), but I want an official definition that I can provide a credible source for. 

I also suggest ensuring that you have reliable sources.

Reliable sources for health bloggers include:

• results of studies (you don’t need to subscribe to a journal to read abstracts!)
• hospitals or other medical centers
• health organizations like the CDC, WHO, or NIH
• health foundations like the Arthritis Foundation or Dysautonomia International

Basically, you’re looking for places that have their integrity at the center of their existence. I mean, we would all be in trouble if the WHO started sharing incorrect information, right? 

I will say, though, that I try to avoid using individual doctor’s practice’s websites as my sources because they don’t have the same potential issue if they’re lying or wrong that a larger organization does. 

How To Be a Health Blogger: Writing Blog Posts

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Why you need this 

SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” The goal is to optimize your site for search engines to find you. In individual posts, I choose keywords that fit the topic I want to write about. 

Do you want your blog posts to be found online? Do you want them to be found on Pinterest? If the answer to one or both of these is “yes,” then you should care about SEO. The big thing for me personally is Pinterest. Yes, Pinterest is a search engine! Over 50% of my blog traffic in the last month came from Pinterest.

I try to use a bunch of similar keywords in each post to increase the likelihood that my post will be found – and clicked on. I also try to use keywords that are searched for somewhat regularly – aka not only 10 searches per month – but have a competitive level below 50 out of 100. That way people are likely to look for what I’m writing about and my posts are likely to show up when people do search for them. 

The goal is to show up on the first 3 pages of search results, but ideally to show up on the first page. I mean, how many times do you Google something and go past the first page? 

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How to improve it 

There are so many free resources for learning about and improving your site’s SEO! 

One is to do an SEO challenge. I did this challenge by SEO Ibérica, and it’s a free way to improve your site’s SEO. Not every task will apply to you and your blog, either because of your niche or because you’re already doing it. Some of them take 5 minutes, others several days.

That challenge taught me that SEO can involve so much more than what I knew! I knew it could be tricky – I’ve been utilizing it for years – but doing that SEO “boot camp” really emphasized that. 

Another way is to do an SEO audit with Ubersuggest. 

First it helps you by analyzing your website’s SEO usage overall (the audit) and then gives you a whole bunch of things to work on. This includes pages and/or posts causing problems for your SEO, how fast or slow your site is, and so much more. 

Then, you can sign up for the 7-week challenge that is suited to your blog’s needs. Every week, you get a list of things to work on. It really helps! And, to be completely clear, this is 100% free.

Another way is to use Ubersuggest in general, as it’s such a valuable tool. It’s one of my favorite ways to find SEO keywords to use. 

Not only does it give you keyword suggestions, but you can also find related keywords, long-tail keywords (aka more than 2 or 3 words), question keywords, preposition keywords, and more. It will tell you what the search volume is for each keyword, as well as how competitive it is so you can choose the most successful keyword for your post. And so much more. 

And it’s free. 

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Dealing with people 

Why you need this 

The biggest reason is that you will encounter all sorts of people through blogging. Or rather, you’ll have all sorts of encounters with people.

There will be people who disagree with you.

There will be people who want more from you.

There will be trolls.

There will be people who want to work with you.

And much more! 

The Dos and Dont’s of How To Get Your Blog Noticed 

How to improve it 

The first skill you need to work on is determining when you should respond to someone.

First of all, keep in mind that you don’t have to respond to everyone. Practice pausing before you respond to someone. If they leave a comment that pisses you off, practice not responding immediately.

After a bit (minutes or hours), go back to that comment. Are they speaking kindly? Do they seem to be trying to start an argument?

If this is on social media, go to their profile. Look at the things they post, in general and to others. If their comment to you is a pattern of similar responses to multiple people, don’t respond.

Unless …

You know the phrase “Even a broken clock is right twice a day”? Well, even trolls and bots make a good point every now and then. I know, I know, it’s unlikely. But it’s not impossible.

In that case, don’t respond to them directly. Make a new post and say, “Someone pointed out x. After thinking about it, I think they were right.” Depending on what they said, you should apologize or clarify.

Doing this shows you have integrity without feeding the trolls.

If the message does not seem to be coming from a troll – maybe a regular person who was having a bad day or who just phrased this in a bad way – reply to them, either via message or publicly.

Here’s an example.

A few years ago, I wrote a post about dysautonomia and anxiety. The way I phrased some of my promotional social media posts made it sound like I thought anxiety could cause dysautonomia or that some people who had dysautonomia actually just had anxiety, and some other patients were understandably concerned about this.

Their responses to me were heated (they accused me of spreading misinformation, if I remember correctly). Before I responded to them, I looked at my social media posts and I reread my blog post. Did I say things that were wrong without realizing it?

When I reread the blog post and the social media posts, I realized that I had phrased my social media posts badly. I publicly responded to the people who reached out to me and apologized for not speaking clearly. I explained that I said in my post the only connection between dysautonomia and anxiety is the same connections between any other chronic illness and anxiety. I also explained that, as someone with generalized anxiety disorder, my anxiety attacks could have similar symptoms to my dysautonomia symptoms.

Because I didn’t respond immediately, I was able to have a productive conversation with those people. I was also able to be positive that I was saying the truth when I told them that I didn’t share misinformation.

Just because someone criticizes you doesn’t mean that they’re a troll, so you shouldn’t respond to everyone like they are a troll. And again, sometimes there are trolls who make good points.

When there are trolls, though, you should block and mute them regularly on social media. Make a line for yourself and stick to it.

Finally, recognize that you don’t have to respond to every comment you get. It’s okay to just not say anything. (Unless they make a good point/have a good concern, in which case you should respond at a time when you can rationally respond.)

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Networking 

Why you need this 

Connecting with other bloggers is essential. There are just some things that only other bloggers will understand.

And having these connections also means that you can learn things from each other. Maybe you’re really good at one aspect of blogging but need help with another. Find a blogger who’s really good at that skill!

But networking with other bloggers also means they can connect you to opportunities that you might not be aware of. For example, I’m a chronic illness blogger who has RA. If someone reaches out to me and they want to do a sponsored collaboration with someone who has Ankylosing Spondylitis, I would say, “I don’t have it, but blogger x does” and connect them to that person.

Why Isn’t My Blog Getting Traffic?

How to improve it 

Unfortunately, you just have to do it.

Join a Facebook group for bloggers and participate. Many of these groups have rules, so make sure you follow them!  

Another way is to follow other bloggers on social media and engage with them. Don’t spam them, but be a regularly engaged follower

Don’t over-engage. There are some third-party apps that will automatically send a private message to people whenever they follow you. For goodness sake, do NOT use these in general, but especially don’t use these to promote your blog! Whenever I get one of those messages, I immediately unfollow whoever sent it. They’re so annoying!

And don’t promote your blog on someone else’s blog. It is so unbelievably annoying when another blogger comments on a post and just says “I’d love it if you could check out my blog!”. It’s one thing to write a heartfelt or genuine comment and end it with your blog’s URL and your name, or even to end it with that same comment. But only asking people to check out your blog is rude and irritating. It’s like you only view that person’s blog as a way to get views to your blog.

Personally, I also hate when someone leaves a short and vague comment like “Great post!” and then says “Check out my blog!” immediately after. That’s basically one step improved from “Check out my blog” on its own. I’d rather you not comment at all than say that.

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Improve your blogging skills with my ebooks! 

Social Media for Chronic Health Bloggers – This $5 ebook contains tips and tricks for managing your social media as a chronic health blogger. It includes a checklist for optimizing your social media networks, Instagram prompts for chronic illness patients, Twitter prompts, and miscellaneous resources for managing your social media.

How To Use Pinterest for Blog Traffic – Get this $5 ebook if you want to learn what I do that brings over 70% of my traffic from Pinterest. Once you’ve learned that, it also includes how to get the most out of Tailwind for Pinterest. 

Promoting Blog Posts – This $5 ebook has everything you need to know about promoting blog posts. It has how to promote new blog posts, how to promote older ones, and the resources you need to promote your posts.

Finally, my ultimate resource! Chronic Health Bloggers: Take Your Blog (And Income!) to the Next Level, my $10 ebook. 

This ebook has:

• List of weekly blog tasks
• 49 chronic health blog post ideas
• 30 health blog post title formulas
• SEO checklist for bloggers
• Blog post promotion checklist
• Social media optimization for bloggers
• 25 chronic health Instagram prompts
• 26 chronic health TikTok/Instagram Reels prompts
• Tailwind checklist for Pinterest
• Tailwind checklist for Instagram
• 100 inspirational quotes to share on social media
• 60+ Christian quotes to share on social media
• Media kit template for bloggers based on mine
• 54 ways to grow your blog
• Blog set-up checklist
• My favorite resources for blogging
• How you can make money from your blog

Get all of this for just $10 here.

Like this post? Check out: 

Ways To Promote Blog Posts: 2022 Edition, Getting Smart with an Editorial Calendar for Bloggers + Free Editorial Calendar, How I Manage Social Media Platforms for My Blog, 50+ Incredible Free Blog Resources