Top 10 Resources to Build a Better Blog

By Pinyo, on September 11, 2007

I have been blogging about personal finance for about 2 months now. I read and learned a lot about personal finance, but I also learned a lot about blogging. In this post, I want to list what I thought were the most useful better blog resources on the web. Here goes:

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

1. 101 Essential Blogging Skills & 50 Tips to Unclutter Your Blog — I came across Skelliewag, through GLBL’s post about her Free Clutter-Busting Review. I submitted my blog for this simplicity review and was surprised to get a very good 2-page analysis from Skellie within a day. This is an awesome free service that I highly recommend.
2. Weblog Usability: The Top Ten Design Mistakes — Some love him and some hate him. Personally, I am a big fan of Jakob Nielsen and love the topic of usability. If you want just 10 easy tips, these are the ones I recommend.
3. Blog Design & Spring Cleaning — This post from Content.Robot focused mainly on cross-browser & cross-platform (e.g. mobile devices) compatibility. I occasionally browse through blogs using mobile device and can attest that many of my favorites have errors in their codes — so check this out.
4. 8 Blog Redesign Tips — A short, yet practical post from WP Designer.com. Redesign only because you needed to. Anyway, I like how this post touches specific blog elements.
5. 21 Surefire Tips for a Successful Blog Launch — This is a good list from Aviva covering topics such as the first impression, RSS subscriptions feed, Social Bookmarking, Networking, Link Building, and ultimately launching your blog.
6. 101 Steps to Becoming a Better Blogger — Consider this post from Lifehack.org a hodge-podge of good blogging tips; it touched practically every aspect of blogging. I think anyone can find at least a handful of useful tips from this post. This post was one of the first checklists I used for my own blog.
7. 31 Days to Building a Better Blog — This is a heavy-weight blogging tips from ProBlogger. Be ready to spend a few days reading through this fine collection and ancillary tips from all the participating bloggers.
8. Building a Better Blog for 2007 — This is another huge collection from one of the most recognized PF blog, The Simple Dollar. I particularly enjoy this series because it is written by someone in my own niche. Hi Trent!
9. 101 Essential Blogging Resources — This post from Blogtrepreneur is basically a toolbox for blogging. The big list is broken down under these headings: Domain Registrars, Hosting, Content Management Systems, Communication, Research, Customization, Statistics, Creating Posts, Ranking, Feed Readers, Social Media, Monetization and Advertising, Blogs and Forums, and Miscellaneous. There is something here for everyone.
10. 10 Easy Ways To Piss Off Your Readers by Shaun Low

My own short list of blogging tips are:

• Keep the blog clean and simple to use
• Use your own domain name and blog hosting using WordPress
• Reply to all comments on your blog, visit and comment on commenters’ blog, as well as comment on other blogs in your niche
• Participate in Blog Carnivals
• For personal finance bloggers join PFblogs.org and participate in the Carnival of Personal Finance

If your favorite blogging resource is not on this list, or if you want to share your own tips, please leave a comment. Also, I would love to hear specific suggestions to improve this blog.

Pinyo is the owner of Moolanomy Personal Finance and an entrepreneur with over 20 years of business experience. He is interested in business management, investing and wealth management. He has written for many online publications, including American Express Currency and U.S. News Money. You can follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

Add Your Question or Comment (18 Comments)

1. Brian:

   September 11, 2007 at 12:21 pm

   Thanks for sharing this list of resources, Pinyo. Although I don’t get as much time as I’d like to market my blog and interact with other personal finance bloggers, it sure is a lot of fun to be in the game!
2. paidtwice:

   September 11, 2007 at 3:36 pm

   This is a great list! I even added it to my tumblr

   Keep up the great posts, I learn something new every day
3. Pinyo:

   September 11, 2007 at 4:24 pm

   Brian, these past two months been a blast for me too!

   Paidtwice, thank you! We should thanks the 10 authors on the list since they were the one who did the really hard work.
4. Gerd:

   September 11, 2007 at 4:26 pm

   Thank you for this wonderful list. I think that I have to work myself through your extensive stuff to get a good blog.
5. Eric:

   September 11, 2007 at 6:42 pm

   Pinyo, thanks for the list. It’s going to take me days to digest and process what I am reading on the Skelleweg post alone. Great info.
6. Steve:

   September 11, 2007 at 7:47 pm

   Excellent list of resources! The Problogger list alone would take about a year to go through if you read every link he posted. Now if I could just work at blogging 40 hours a week instead of actually working at my day job!
7. Pinyo:

   September 11, 2007 at 7:48 pm

   Gerd – welcome to Moolanomy and you’re welcome.

   Eric – you’re welcome. While you are at Skelliewag, don’t forget to ask her for a review.
8. Pinyo:

   September 11, 2007 at 8:43 pm

   Steve – we must have cross posted. Thank you for your comment. I think links from this list is best digested slowly. I would not make drastic change to your already excellent blog.
9. Lynnae:

   September 11, 2007 at 9:51 pm

   Thanks for the list! It’s going to take a while to work through!
10. shaun:

    September 11, 2007 at 11:41 pm

    awsome list and thank you very much for including me in the bonus I stumbled this post!!
11. Steve Young:

    September 12, 2007 at 8:04 am

    Awesome list – I’ll be adding it to my bookmarks for blog-building info.
12. Pinyo:

    September 12, 2007 at 8:16 am

    Lynnae – you’re welcome!

    Shaun – welcome to Moolanomy. Who can resist good instruction to piss people off? Thanks for making that cool list.

    Steve – thank you and welcome to Moolanomy.
13. Steven Snell:

    September 13, 2007 at 5:28 pm

    Great list. I especially like 5, 7, and 9.
14. Pinyo:

    September 14, 2007 at 9:21 am

    @Steve – thank you and welcome to Moolanomy. I gave your blog a look and I like your post about Linkbaiting. That was a good read.
15. youlki22:

    September 25, 2007 at 1:45 am

    I have been bloggin from more than 2 years, and also like to share my experiences with fellow bloggers. I liked your blog and your post is included at one of my lists: Useful links and resources lists
16. Pinyo:

    September 25, 2007 at 9:49 am

    Youlki22 – welcome to Moolanomy and thank you for sharing that excellent resource.
17. Lazy Man and Health:

    January 25, 2008 at 6:11 pm

    I like Jakob Nielsen as much as the next guy (actually more than the next guy), but a few of his recommendations don’t apply to websites where anonymity is key. I guess it’s unique of our niche.
18. Pinyo:

    January 27, 2008 at 3:59 pm

    @Lazy – That’s not your real name??