Although I would love to have some shortcuts or magic tricks to share with you, the truth is that food blogging can be a lot of work. I received a number of questions on the topic, so I decided to put together my twenty best tips for food writers. Follow these guidelines to create a successful blog.
1. Be authentic.
Produce the best possible content and post about your passions.
2. Don’t give up.
Your blog’s growth may be slow initially, but it will gain momentum over time if you are persistent and do what you can.
3. Post original content.
Visitors will come back to your business if they like it.
4. Show off your personality.
Don’t be shy about showing your enthusiasm. Blogging allows you to connect with others who are passionate about the same things as you, such as avocado on toast.
5. Be friends with each other and be helpful to one another.
Network! Make friends with bloggers who have similar interests. Comment on their blog, engage with them on social media and share their content.
6. Make yourself available.
As much as possible, be active and responsive on social networks.
7. Keep your website design simple and easy to use.
Clutter can detract from your content.
8. Follow your blog easily by visitors.
Include links to social media and RSS/email subscriptions prominently on every page.
9. Commenting on your blog should be easy.
Please note that CAPTCHAs and logins are not required. You can let your commenters know you appreciate them by emailing them, replying to their comments publicly, or commenting on blogs.
10. Share your content easily.
At the end of every post, include social media sharing buttons. Thank others for promoting your work.
11. Post only the best recipes.
You don’t wish for visitors to spend their time and money on a recipe only to be disappointed. It’s better to keep the blog quiet for a couple of days rather than post a recipe that you don’t like.
12. Cite your sources.
Always. Posting other bloggers’ pictures without permission or reposting their recipes verbatim is not cool. Cool: sharing your original recipes, links to inspiration and pointing to additional resources.
13. Do not sell out.
It’s not that you shouldn’t make money from your blog. But don’t align with a project or brand that doesn’t fit. You are who you choose to be around. You will find opportunities if you focus on creating your best content and growing your audience.
14. Post regularly.
Don’t allow your blog to look abandoned, whether you post once a day, every week, or every other week.
15. Own your domain name
Do it if you want to have your blog taken seriously. GoDaddy offers domain names for as little as twenty dollars per year.
16. Create a WordPress blog that is hosted by yourself.
If you don’t know how to do these things, pay someone else to do it for you or shower your geeky friend with homemade cookies until he agrees. You can pay someone to do the work for you or give your geeky friend homemade cookies to get him to decide. Here’s a guide with step-by-step instructions (plus tips on food blog design and hosting).
17. Find out about search engine optimization.
Search engine optimization is not black magic. It’s simply about making quality content visible. Understanding and implementing the basics is important.
18. Submit your recipes to online recipe submission sites.
Submission sites can be an excellent source of traffic when you are just starting. In the past, I have submitted my posts to Foodgawker and Tasteologie (where applicable). You can copy and paste the information from a text document into each website. If your photo is rejected, either edit it or select a new photo to resubmit. Remember to pin all your new recipes on Pinterest!
19. Take delicious photos with these tips.
When appealing photographs accompany your recipe, people are more likely to make it, share it, and pin it. Here are my tips for food photography and recommendations on equipment.
20. Do what your mother told you.
Be kind, respectful, appreciative and humble. Work hard.
