I’ve done well over 200 blog posts in the last couple of years, and I’ve come to enjoy the process.
Blogging is a lot of Hard Work.
I don’t think everyone appreciates the time and effort that goes into each post, but with that said, I do it because I enjoy it.
Initially, it was about building a platform and getting my work out into the world. I’ve done columns, a lot of freelance articles, and even written a couple of books, but I find blogging fun and satisfying.
The pace is fast and constant. I can choose any subject in the universe and make it fit into my blog. This exercise allows my brain to spit out stuff that isn’t included in my formal writing and it also gives me the opportunity to either spout my opinion or comment on my world observations.
That’s pretty powerful.
Blogging With a Purpose
When I first started I had no idea what I was doing. I wrote an article and posted it. I was lucky if I had two people look at it and they were probably my hubby and my bestie.
I learned by trial and error and then finally took an online course and learned I needed to focus and most of all I needed to be more consistent with my postings.
I now post four times a week and this has been doable, manageable, and successful in pulling in new readers.
As you begin your blog you’ll learn by trial and error but I’d also like to share the three websites that made the most difference to my site. If you haven’t noticed, I changed up the headers recently and I think they look pretty dang good.
Free Blog Images

UNSPLASH.com
If you’re not familiar with the site then check it out. It’s filled with beautiful and professional images free for downloading and using on your blog. The pictures are of high quality and can really add interest to enhance your blog.
Free Graphic Design
CANVA.com
This is a graphic design site that allows for free limited membership and is truly frikken awesome. Your blogs will look professional and polished. I use the free version and haven’t found a reason yet to upgrade.
On this site, I was able to upload photos and add text, prepare my own media kit, and of course make banners for Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. (Hey, are you following me? Why not? The links are below!)

Don’t worry if you have no idea or experience with this type of site. I certainly didn’t. There are tutorials and a lot of information on CANVA itself. I poked and played and made it work for me.
Check it out. You won’t be sorry.
Take it to the Next Level
HEADLINE ANALYZER
What makes a reader click on your post or breeze right by without paying it any attention? It’s the headline!
One of the most difficult things for me was figuring out how to title each blog but then I was introduced to the headline analyzer and I haven’t looked back. Here’s the link.
The rule of thumb is to have a score of at least 70. If your headline is below then rewrite it.
I hope these tools help you with your own blog. Please let me know what you think.
Happy Blogging.
Thanks for sharing Faye. I was trying to make images for Instagram last week, and it was bad. 🤣
use canva and download. If I have problems I sometimes do it all up on Canva and then take a pic to post to Insta. Good luck.
Headline analyzer has been a source of facepalming and better blog titles for me. Well worth the effort it takes to wrap my brain around it.
Hey Deven. Thanks for stopping by. The headline analyzer has been amazing. My hits are way up since starting to use it. Can’t fight science right. Sometimes it takes me a while to get past 70 tho. lol
I had never heard of Unsplash, thanks for the tip!
You’re very welcome Andrew! I hope you like it. Great graphics.