photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

WeBuildYourBlog is now 3.5 years old and so far it’s been a fun adventure.

It’s been exciting, hard, frustrating but so worthwhile as the site now provides me with a full-time income.

These are the things I have learned in the last 3 and half years (no particular order – just me listing my thoughts!):

  1. Secure your site
  2. Add the relevant ‘compliant’ pages like Disclaimer, Privacy, DMCA, etc
  3. Get a mentor
  4. Only start a blog in a subject that you love
  5. Buy your own domain name and use WordPress.org
  6. Outsource things you don’t like doing or don’t understand
  7. Ensure the domain name is short and easy to remember
  8. Invest in blogging tools that save you time
  9. Publish blog posts in a weekly schedule (i.e. every Monday and Thursday for example)
  10. Publish blog posts at least twice a week
  11. Get someone to check your writing for mistakes before hitting the ‘publish’ button
  12. Build on-line relationships
  13. Guest post on other sites
  14. Comment on other blogs
  15. Be the first to comment
  16. Backup your blog using Backup Buddy
  17. Remove the sidebar Meta login
  18. Use blog carnivals
  19. Write the best content you can
  20. Ask your customers/visitors questions
  21. Leverage social bookmarking
  22. Write list type posts
  23. Use tags
  24. Use pings
  25. Write “How to” articles
  26. Use a decent sized font like 14pt
  27. Be generous with your knowledge
  28. Use Feedburner
  29. Allow readers to subscribe
  30. Have 2 weeks’ worth of blog posts…all ready to publish
  31. Add an RSS subscription icon
  32. Build your email list
  33. Use “series” of posts
  34. Reply to comments
  35. Use standard readable fonts
  36. Use a light background
  37. Use images
  38. Don’t add AdSense
  39. Use Google Analytics or even better, Pro Blog Stats
  40. Only check your stats once a week
  41. Don’t copy other people’s content
  42. Don’t publish your content on other blogs or article directories
  43. Use an RSS reader or Alltop to keep up to date with other blogs
  44. Read other blogs for keeping up to date
  45. Read other blogs for content ideas
  46. Have an “About” page
  47. Have a picture of yourself on the “About” page
  48. Learn SEO
  49. Only have one or two ads
  50. Be patient
  51. Don’t have a blogroll
  52. Link to other blogs from within your blog posts
  53. Internally link to your other blog posts
  54. Make it easy for visitors to contact you
  55. Add your services with prices
  56. Learn how to use blog post titles properly
  57. Allow visitors to subscribe via email
  58. Enable commenters to subscribe
  59. Share your opinion
  60. Ask your customers for feedback
  61. Take a break
  62. Get feedback
  63. Act on the feedback
  64. Add what your blog is about in your header banner
  65. List your popular posts in the sidebar
  66. List your recent posts in the sidebar
  67. Change the permalink to a more SEO friendly one
  68. Use your footer area wisely
  69. Make your blog load as fast as possible
  70. Optimize the images you use – use WP Smush It
  71. Use a reputable hosting company like HostGator
  72. Allow visitors to contact you in real time using a service like Zoopim
  73. Have a search facility
  74. Show off your testimonials
  75. Add a Google+ page and ensure you link to it
  76. Use a Premium WordPress theme
  77. Check for broken links – use Broken Link Checker
  78. Don’t believe the hype about making money via your blog…quickly
  79. Ask for help
  80. Ask others to social bookmark your posts
  81. Create/join a ‘traffic club’ where you promote each other’s work
  82. Invest in your knowledge
  83. Make your blog mobile friendly
  84. Create a Gravatar
  85. Keep a track of what works and what doesn’t
  86. Ensure your Gravatar is a real picture of you
  87. Involve your family
  88. Don’t tweak your site too often
  89. Don’t follow or buy every flavour of the month
  90. Don’t believe the hype of fast / easy money
  91. Use a proper author display name (rather than ‘admin’)
  92. Only have a few categories
  93. Study ‘how to use the best headlines’ to entice your audience
  94. Don’t use spun content
  95. Allow guest posts
  96. Have guest post guidelines
  97. Check the guest posts you receive for plagiarism using CopyScape
  98. Develop and sell your own products
  99. Share some personal (not too personal!) things
  100. Organize and plan your working day
  101. Love your customers

 What have I missed?

What have you learned while building your blog?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below.