I'm excited to share this series with you, called "101 Blogging Tips". In the series there will be 101 blogging tips that you can begin applying to your blog today! Don't wait, get started now!
Tip #45: Make it easy to find imporant information on your blog!
This means different things to each of us, but whatever information you "want" your customers and readers to "see" has to be easy for them to "find". So you normally would have this information at the top of your blog (in one of the sidebars) or even use a dropdown menu (click here instructions on how to create a dropdown menu in Blogger – instructions for TypePad will come later).
I'm working on my dropdown menu, so for now, I have this information in one of my blog sidebars.
For most it's natural to read from left to right, so I have my "important information" first thing in my left sidebar. It's in a section "Look Here First". It has my business hours (as I have young, school-age children) and more importantly my most popular services.
I am going to share with you the code I personal use in that area on my blog (below). You may also open and use this text file.
<span style="text-decoration:underline;">Popular Services:</span><BR> <a href="https://www.blogsbyheather.com/blog-design-service.html">Blog Design</a> <BR> <a href="https://www.blogsbyheather.com/blog-setup-service.html">Blog Setup</a> <BR> <a href="https://www.blogsbyheather.com/blog-maintenance-program.html">Blog Maintenance</a> <BR> <a href="https://www.blogsbyheather.com/constant-contact-newslett.html">Constant Contact Newsletter Design / Newsletter Design</a> <BR>
<a href="https://www.blogsbyheather.com/recommended-services.html">Other Recommended Services</a>
What you need to do is replace the href URL with the URL of one of your pages or posts on your own blog (interlinking, SEO Technique), and then change the title (such as Blog Design). I have highlighted all the areas you need to change!
You could have done this in a Links List type of gadget in Blogger, TypePad or WordPress, but with using pure HTML code you have the most flexibility, especially in formatting. Notice the title "Popular Services" is set to have an "underline".
So you would use the
- HTML/JavaScript widget in Blogger,
- the Embed Your Own HTML code in TypePad,
- or the Text Widget in WordPress.
The point to this tip is not HTML, but to know that you need to have whatever important information located in a place on your blog that your readers can find easily!
Whether that's an image, links to other posts or pages, a survey or poll or subscribe area. Whatever that means to you ("important information"), make sure it's at the top.
Happy Blogging!
Heather 😀
Heather Wright-Porto
Blogs By Heather * WordPress Hosting * Buy a Domain * Stamping and Blogging
Heather, thank you for the instructions on how to build a drop-down menu. I got through all the steps, but my menus are dropping behind the post body – could you help me correct this? see the problem at http://www.TinkerWithInk.com