Lately I have been thinking about how much has changed in blogging over the past couple years. It’s only been two years since Google Reader was officially shut down, and yet it feels like Bloglovin’ has been our go-to reader forever. When I first came across Bloglovin’, I knew right away that it would become my preferred method of catching up on the latest posts of my favorite blogs. What I didn’t know is that it would be the key factor in the growth of my own blog(s). Right now, Bloglovin’ is bringing in the majority of our traffic here on TBM. Last week, Angela’s post on the best hashtags to promote your blog on Instagram brought us in more traffic than we’ve seen on this blog, literally quadrupling our average daily pageviews.
Bloglovin’ is an amazing resource for bloggers and blog readers alike. It’s a great way to stay inspired, engage in community with like-minded individuals, and grow your brand. If you’re a fellow blogger, there are many easy ways to get a little more out of your Bloglovin’ account.
5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Bloglovin’ Account
1. Narrow down your blog category. When you register your blog on Bloglovin’, you can choose from several different categories. Your blog analytics page will then show you how your blog ranks among others in the same category. The higher up your ranking, the more likely your posts will be shared and end up on the Explore page. My personal blog Earl Grey Creative used to be more focused on DIY projects so naturally I placed it in the DIY & Crafts category on Bloglovin’. I’m pretty sure I was #4,000 in DIY blogs. As time went on, I began to share more design tutorials and blogging resources on my blog. It turns out the Design category of Bloglovin’ is much less saturated than the DIY category. So I changed my category to Design and now I’m #80 in Design blogs, making it much easier for my posts to be seen and shared across Bloglovin’. Yay! I’m not saying you should go and change your blog category to “Design” if it’s not really about design. Stay relevant so that you attract readers who are interested in your content, but try choose the most specific category. :)
2. Include Bloglovin’ in your social media icons. It constantly surprises me how many blogs don’t include a social media icon for Bloglovin’! BL is usually represented by a plus sign or a heart. When a new reader visits your site and wants to keep following, they will immediately find your social media icons. Make sure BL is included in the list!
3. Add a Bloglovin’ link at the bottom of each post. This is something I did on my old Earl Grey design and it caused my Bloglovin’ followers to skyrocket. I used the WordPress plugin Bottom of Every Post to automatically place a Bloglovin’ button at the end of each post. At first I was worried it would seem too intense or cluttered but Bloglovin’s new branding has all of their buttons looking clean and minimal. You can also create your own Bloglovin’ button by styling a link with CSS to stay true to your brand’s vibe.
4. Choose a great Featured Image. The images that appear with each post on your Bloglovin’ page depend on what blogging platform you’re using. If you use WordPress, you have the option of choosing a Featured Image for every post. Bloglovin’ will grab this photo to share with your readers, so make sure it’s eye catching! You have probably heard it a million times before, but vertical images perform the best because they take up more room. If you’re using SquareSpace or Blogger, the first image in your post will be used on Bloglovin’.
5. Be an active reader on Bloglovin’. You’ve got to give a little love to get a little love on BL. Angela and I are always looking for posts to include in our Weekly Resources posts, so we love that BL has the option of saving posts to different categories. Take advantage of the Explore page to discover blogs and blog posts that are relevant to your hobbies and interest. And if you find a blog you love, follow them! Bloglovin’ is a wonderful way to stay connected with blogs you love.
Are you a Bloglovin’ user? If so, what are your top Bloglovin’ tips as a blogger or blog reader?
If you’re not already following us on Bloglovin’, click here to keep in touch!
Liz says
Hi there! Love this post! I never thought of putting a bloglovin button on the bottom of the post but that seems like a great idea! Bloglovin is an awesome tool but I was struggling to think of creative ways to grow with it! Thanks for this!
Jennifer says
You’re so welcome, Liz! Hopefully the button at the bottom of each post helps with some BL growth!
Jeline says
Been super hooked to Bloglovin’ lately and that’s how I actually stumbled upon yours and now I’m hooked to your blog! Haha. You got some really great posts. xx
sartorialust.net
Jennifer says
Yay! So glad Bloglovin’ brought you here! :)
Hannah @ Traveling Banana says
I jussst started added a bloglovin button to the end of my posts, excited to see if it ups my bloglovin traffic :)
Jennifer says
Yes! I hope it does wonders for your BL traffic. :)
Cristina says
Thanks for this post! I have a hard time growing my following, but what seems to work very well for me is a larger Bloglovin’ button. I added one last week and my number of followers almost doubled.
Jennifer says
Oh my gosh, that’s amazing! Great tip. :)
Lynn says
thanks for this helpful tips! bloglovin is probably my most used app on my phone, I love it! x
Lynn | http://nexttolondon.blogspot.co.uk/
Jennifer says
I agree, the Bloglovin’ app is amazing! I’m on it way too much. :)
Veronica says
I’m still new to bloglovin, and I always forget to check it, this is helpful. Thanks!
Jennifer says
No prob, Veronica! Glad it’s helpful. :)
Kristyn says
I love being able to separate my blogs into lists by topic. Right now the function is only available on the website but it’s great for when you want to focus on something specific.
Jennifer says
Definitely! That is a great way to keep everything organized.
Audrey | Brunch at Audrey's says
Bloglovin’ is my FAVORITE! I’ve been blogging for just under two years so I’ve actually never used Google Reader. I feel like such a noob haha. Anyways, I love how you can save posts on Bloglovin’. The blogs I follow produce such amazing content, I find myself saving posts very often! Because I have so many saved posts, it got pretty hard finding the posts once I did, so I’m really thankful for the “collections” update. -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s
Audrey | Brunch at Audrey's says
Oh yeah, and one way I like using Bloglovin’ is to see what posts my readers like, by browsing their saved posts.
Jennifer says
Saving posts is such an amazing feature! And yes, I love seeing what others are reading/enjoying on BL by checking out their saved posts. Such a good way to find new inspiration!
Juliet says
Thank you so much for this post. I just started using BlogLovin’ (I literally claimed my blog at 1 AM) and so far I am in love. I will certainly start adding the bloglovin’ social media icon to the bottom of my posts from now on and start really interacting with the amazing BlogLovin’ community. Have a great day!
Jennifer says
Yay! Welcome to the wonderful world of Bloglovin’. I’m excited to check out your blog! :)
Brittany says
I use the bloglovin app non-stop, however I do wish I was able to save to my collections on the app. With that being said I have been on it awhile and your tip to add a hyperlink to the bloglovin site is one that I must try. Excited to see if this drives traffic more to my blog. Thanks!
Spoonfulofbritt.com
Jennifer says
I just checked my Bloglovin’ app and it looks like we’re able to save to collections now! Maybe the app had an update?
Glad you enjoyed this post! :)
Gina says
Ooh these tips are so awesome! I’m going to look into that plugin for adding a button to the end of posts! Thanks so much for this post (and the Instagram hashtags too!) These are such helpful resources!
Jennifer says
Thanks Gina!! I’m so glad our posts have been a good resource. :)
Stephanie says
These are wonderful tips!! Thanks!!
Iida-Emilia says
Hey, what a great post! I am a huge fan of bloglovin since it’s the easiest way to catch up with the latest posts of my favorite bloggers. Thanks for these great tips, I think I need to start focusing more on growing my audience through bloglovin too :)
Jennifer says
I agree, Bloglovin’ is so great at keeping me up to date with my favorite blogs. Thanks for stopping by! :)
Courtney Leigh says
These are fantastic tips! I’d love to implement the bloglovin’ social media icon and a BL link at the end of every post. BL is so powerful! I check it every day because I hate missing awesome posts from my fave blogs, but it definitely took me a while to figure out just how great it is. <3
Jennifer says
BL really is the best huh?! Glad you enjoyed these tips! :)
Style&Minimalism says
Thank you, I’ve been struggling with Bloglovin’, it just doesn’t seem to grow in the same way as my other accounts, xx
Vikki
http://www.styleandminimalism.com
Jennifer says
You’re very welcome Vikki! Hopefully these tips help grow your account quickly. :)
Anna says
I use bloglovin for the past 4 years but I cannot say that it helped me grow my readership. Bloglovin is mostly a tool for the reader side. As a blogger the only thing you can do is add buttons to your blog and that’s all.
Lotte says
I’m such a fan of Bloglovin :-) But for some reason I can’t see how my blog ranks in its category in Blog Analytics – do you know, if you only see, once you change it, or should I be able to see it anytime?
Jennifer says
Interesting! Have you claimed your blog on Bloglovin’? You should be able to see the ranking at any time. It’s on the blog analytics page right next to the number of followers. Hope it works!
Sophie says
Great post! I’ll definitely be taking on board these tips to help grow my readership.
Krystal says
You know, I’m one of those people that doesn’t have a Bloglovin’ button on my site… I’m adding it to my to do list now :-) And thank you – I found you on Bloglovin and I’m slowly using it more and more. So much easier to keep up to date with all the best blogs. xo
Jennifer says
Yay! I’m happy you found us on BL. It’s such a great way to connect with new (and old) blogs. :)
Joanne Dewberry says
Great tips I never thought much about the category I will go back and check mine. Am following you now too.
Jennifer says
Hey Joanne! Thanks for following us :) glad you enjoyed these tips!
Cynthia @craftoflaughter says
I also like to create folders for different types of blogs. Then I can pull up one folder at a time and not be overwhelmed by the entire feed.
Jocelyn @ Hip Mama's Place says
Super helpful tips, thank you so much! I have been looking into improving my social media pages and my Bloglovin’ account is one of the accounts I need to focus on and that needs some TLC at the moment. Thanks for this post!
Kyah says
I finally added a Bloglovin’ link at the end of all of my posts (who knows why it wasn’t there in the beginning!) and got a few new followers heaps quickly!
Kyah / http://www.weekendtempo.com
Elise Xavier says
Wow I didn’t even realize (for some reason) that you could change your category. Thanks for this ! :)
Found it through Bloglovin’ by the way! ;)
Barbora says
great post!! i never thiught about putting bloglovin button to each post but it sou d like a great idea! i’ll try it!😊😊
Marta says
Just came to your blog but I love it!!!
Tal's Beauty Opinion says
Great Tips! I had no idea that there was a “category” on bloglovin! I checked and it was set to “other”. Thank you for this tip! Love all your posts. Very informative and easy reads. Tal xo
Juicy says
Thank you for your tips, i’m new on bloglovin’ :)
Do you know if is possible to choose more than one “category”?
Tina says
Great post and useful tips. I was looking for some help with Bloglovin. Thank you for that!
Best,
Tina
Joy says
This was so helpful! I have always been slightly confused by bloglovin but this helped me understand some aspects I hadn’t thought of before. I added a button at the bottom of my posts. Thank you!
Kate says
This is such helpful advice! And really easy to follow too :D thanks for sharing!
VioletDaffodils
xx