Facebook Pixel
Join our Facebook Community

5 Key Elements for a Successful Women’s Blog

Posted By Guest Blogger 9th of July 2014 General 0 Comments
Image via Flickr user Liquine

Image via Flickr user Liquine

This is a guest contribution by Renee from Blog For Beauty

This year marks 10 years of my blogging career, and after starting several women’s blogs (some successful, some not), and being an avid reader of them myself, I’ve learn the key elements in what makes a blog “make it” or not. Here they are.

Key #1: Make Sure Your Blog is Visually Great

I usually try not to generalize, but let’s face it: women like pretty things. We notice, pay attention and are attracted by how something looks. Having a good blog design is vital because at the end of the day, your blog design and layout is the first impression for a reader (who is very happy to click that X button right away). 

So what makes a good-looking women’s blog? In my opinion, it’s simplicity with a feminine touch. A minimalist layout with pinch of feminine color palettes work very well (lilac, reds, pinks and pastels), as shown in these top blogs for women:

cupcakes-and-cashmere-blog

Cupcakes and Cashmere has a very clean white, gray and pale pink color scheme.

 refinery29-blog

Refinery29 has a bold yet feminine look with a color scheme of black, white, mint green and salmon pink. 

brit-co-blog

Brit.co also has a clean site with subtle primary colors, keeping her site light and airy. 

The second thing that makes a blog look great are the photos. Great photos will go a long way on blogs, but even more if your audience is women. Always start your blog post with a nice, attractive photo, and make sure your photos are big; small photos do not capture attention enough in my opinion. Your photo don’t have to look super-professional or “glossy” like in fashion magazines (mine never are) but make sure they are visually attractive; i.e. no blurriness, basic composition and bright, good colors (this can be edited on your computer). Picmonkey.com is a great free service that many of the top women bloggers use to make your pictures visually better. It allows for cropping, color correction, and sleek layouts.

Key #2: Find your “niche women demographic”

Sure, “women aged 16-24” is a demographic, but rather than age, I found it best to have a “niche women demographic” – find your group of women (or your “tribe”, as they say these days) within that fashion community. For example, you could be a denim fashion blogger. Or a punk-rock fashion blogger that writes about edgier stuff, or an “indie” fashion blogger. Likewise, instead of just another beauty blog, make it a cruelty-free beauty blog or an “over 40 women’s beauty blog.” Finding an even tighter niche than just “all women”; will allow you to properly find an even tighter community and thrive in that area. Not to mention, this is also great for branding your blog. 

free-people-blog

Free People’s blog does this well: their blog covers a range of topics, but for a certain type of girl: one who lives a “care-free”, natural, Earthy lifestyle. 

Key #3: Offer value to your readers

This is a continuation from the point above, but in your niche demographic, you should still strive to not be like everyone else. It’s important in this day and age in the blogging world – because there is literally millions of competition – to offer value to your readers. Personal style posts are great, but they’re a dime a dozen these days, and after awhile, people get bored. Same with beauty blogs that just review a product in every post. Make sure to not only show your outfit posts or beauty posts but also offer something of value. Share your personal style tips with your posts, offer honest thoughts on the product, or give personal shopping recommendations on where to get the best bargain. You need to stand out, offer value and make your site different than the others. 

Key #4: Present information clearly

Shopping posts make up a fair bit amount of blogs for women no matter what the niche (what women doesn’t love to shop?), so make sure your “shoppable” posts are done right. Keep them clean and easy to see. Personally, for my shoppable posts, I number the items in the collage clearly (make sure there are no fancy artist work, fonts, or cluttered images pasted together) and number the links immediately underneath. Also, I link to shops that offer international shipping so it’s even easier for my readers. 

 js-everyday-fashion

A blogger who does shopping posts well is J’s Everyday Fashion. As shown above, there is nothing else to distract from clearly showing the reader what she is clicking through, and from where. 

Key #5: Stay away from the drama

It happens with every niche, but I have witnessed some not-so-favorable behavior behind some women bloggers. After all these years I’ve managed to keep myself out of it, which would be my tip on taking your blog to the next level: just stay out of it. There is nothing that will make your blog (and “brand”) look unprofessional and gain a bad reputation than getting involved in drama, gossip or cliques. Stay out of it, and watch your words too: no “bitching” or complaining (even passive aggressively) on blog posts or social media. This is especially vital with negative comments you may receive – do not lash back or be rude. Always be graceful with all your dealings on your blog, whether it’s on the front page or behind the scenes. 

Renee is the creator of Blog For Beauty, a beauty & self-improvement lifestyle site for women. Subscribe for free emails to learn how to improve your confidence, build your true, inner beauty and get the best “naturally you” beauty and style tips.

About Guest Blogger
This post was written by a guest contributor. Please see their details in the post above.
Comments
  1. I second the visuals tip. I think a lot of women, especially the younger generation are more interested in the photos than the writing these days. Stunning images will really help your blog stand out against thousands of others with half-arsed ones.

    • Thank you, Ally. I just checked out your blog, I really like it!

      And I so agree – it’s especially the younger crowd who prefers images over text now a days. I remember someone telling me that some fashion bloggers are pretty much moving their whole blogs to Instagram which is very interesting.

  2. Hi Renee,

    Love the tips. Women and men alike dig blogging eye candy so you need to fine tune your presentation, to succeed with this blogging bit.

    I’m publishing my first post on my new blog in about 7 hours. Excited! I paid strict attention to detail with my presentation so it’d vibe with me, my brand, and to my target audience. Since I’m all about traveling the world and prospering through blogging my blog screams that.

    Plenty of travel photos on my blog, and I’ve developed a clean, clear and simple design to make my content, photos, and the few elements I’ve included, pop.

    I love the avoiding drama bit too. I do little debating even. I share points, and allow my readers to share their points, and we agree to be fascinated by different viewpoints. If somebody online shows up looking for a fight I kill them with kindness or avoid them all together. No sense doing otherwise, since engaging drama with drama only makes the drama multiply. Not good.

    Smart share here for men and women Renee, whatever your sex and blogging niche. Key elements repeat themselves across multiple niches. Keep creating value, making friends, helping others, staying on topic, delving deeper into a strict niche. You’ll prosper.

    Thanks for sharing.

    Ryan

    • Hi Ryan,

      Congrats on your new blog! I am glad you liked the post, thank you for your kind words.

      I look forward to reading your blog, I love travel blogs!

      Renee

  3. Hi Wounderful post ,

    Your post is very interesting and Informative.Thanks for the good post.Keep up this good work.

  4. I’m just starting out and I really like your point about really trying not to be like everyone else. I see a lot of blogs that just seem to be working a formula. i think finding your own voice and delivering valuable content is the most challenging part of blogging.

  5. Hey Renee,

    Great Post. I like your key element, mostly Key #3. This key also useful for my blogs. Thank you for this great post.

  6. Thank you so much for these helpful tips. I do agree that staying away from the drama and making sure that you give value to your online reputation are musts for women bloggers. What you publish defines you and if you don’t act professional, no one will take you seriously.

  7. I can actually relate to this post both being a woman & a beauty blogger. I am a beauty blogger and I agree with all points here. I put lot of images in my post because I know thats the first thing which gains my attention in other beauty blogs.Only point I slipped was writing similar posts over and over becomes boring. I have been writing product reviews, which I think need some change now. Thank you so much.

  8. This is a great post and some really great advice for anyone starting or struggling with their blog. Thank you for taking the time to write it. It seems that we all forget about our theme and what our blog looks like as we get too busy trying to promote it. Keeping it fresh is really what keeps people coming back.

  9. This is a great post. Really a great help to those women who really loves to make blogs. They can already have tips how to start and start their own. Here are some ideas for making the most of their leisure time.

  10. Adding value is something that most people fail to grasp. If one feels that the niche is a bit crowded already, don’ try to overdo your blog posts. Instead, try something different like writing an ebook, promoting an event or hosting a giveaway.

  11. I noticed that more women blogs are onto images than content, more like photo shoot than giving out information. What are your thoughts about it?

    I know women are more into showing what they have..at least that’s what I observe :)

    • I think that fits what I said in Key #1. Women like things that look good! As far as more photos than content… it depends on the blog, I think. If the topic is “visual” (makeup, personal style, recipe blogs, etc), then I think that the photos kinda speak for themselves, and not too much information is needed after that.

  12. No kidding, I’ve been looking for a post like this since I started my Female blog about three weeks ago, and now I’ve got a direction. Thanks.

  13. Inspirational post. Content and presentation should be very important and quality too. This article is very impressive for bloggers. Thank you very much for the effective advise to us.

  14. Kim Court says: 07/11/2014 at 1:41 pm

    Ok so keep it pink, simple and non-bitchy. Got it.

    Wow. I couldn’t disagree more! How about encouraging women (and ALL bloggers for that matter) to be thought-provoking, witty, informative, etc. I wonder if similar advice should be doled out to male bloggers: be macho, manly, tough and authoritative.
    Yeesh.

    • I get what you’re saying, but this is what I’ve witnessed over the years with all the top women blogs. And I think you can still have a thought-provoking, witty and informative blog that is pink, simple and non-bitchy. :)

  15. Really appreciate your insight from 10 years of blogging experience. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge.

  16. Very informative and quality information about women bloggers. Being a women blogger ,I found this article very helpful. Thanks a lot.

  17. Great Post, I think some elements can be used in my blog!! Thanks for sharing

  18. Nice blog post! But i believe that you forgot to mention one crucial element here i.e. to create unique content. Also women are more attracted towards pictures, images and videos. Those tips provided by you seems to be quite handy for sure.

  19. I found this post interesting – I write a big blog in Sweden and have just recently started to translate into English. There are some striking differences between swedish and american blogs when it comes to visual appearance, and somewhat also when it comes to content. In the US it’s lots of “15 buys that…” and “32 ideas”, you know, lists of things. I rarely come across that in Sweden. But that’s part of something bigger I guess.

    The photo thing is so important – but why are the photos still so small on many American blogs? I’ve done some research into american health and wellness blogs but there are very few that would score high on the key elements described in this post. Can any of you name a few blogs within this field that look good (the blogs that is, not the bloggers)?

    Have a great weekend!

  20. Most of the woman related niche are fashion, mother care, beauty, cooking and home care. All of them are quite soft in nature and free from techie things. That is why it is necessary to consider all important points while developing a blog on woman-based niche.
    Secondly such blogs do not move up fast. Women folk are so cautious in decision making and never be impressed by short lived things. They are very rational customers so one needs to be a rational marketing while running this type of blogs.
    All the points you mentioned in this post are really awesome and worth considering before starting a women’s blog.
    Thanks a lot for sharing this wonderful post that do worth bookmarking.
    I found this post at kingged.com and also kingged it there.

  21. I agree that women love beautifull thing. So I think for a woman blog, you should make thing clear and these things. I’ll definitely bookmark this post for my friends:)

  22. The tips are very interesting and also help in a general way. And logical that what really helps is always be original and write well. So, naturally likely to win loyal readers

  23. My wife has a blog. “Key #4: Present information clearly” that’s the point that she’ll never understand when she writing her posts. thank you so much.

  24. great informative keys for a women running blog.All the above mentioned keys were to the point and are gonna surely help them to build a successful blog.
    Thanks for sharing such great keys :)

    • indeed it was a great information i hope he writes. 5 Key Elements for a Successful men’s Blog too :)

  25. This was a really great article for that I will reference to for any women looking out to start their own blogs. Thanks for the advice!

  26. Love your final point about staying away from drama, such a waste of valuable time and energy!

  27. I agree with your opinion about women’s blog.

    Women love pretty stuffs. Blogs about women’s are clear and clean, well segregated stuffs, pleasant to the eyes and usually they use pastel colors. All in all, the visual has a great impact for women.

    If men and women work together, the collision of ideas will have a massive and successful outcome

    It all boils down to giving value.

    Well, I cannot agree more! The 5 key is a must read!
    I found this post shared on Kingged.com, the Internet marketing social bookmarking and networking site, and I “kingged” it and left this comment.

  28. Women blogs are definitely should be visually appealing. It happens many times that the niche chosen is way too wide, one needs to keep it narrower and also make sure there are women’s out there to follow.

    Negative reputation can ruin the hard work of the years, it is better to always stay out of it.

    I am planning to open a blog centering women, got some great takeaways from this article. One needs to make sure to deliver as per the readers hunger.

    Nice post, I found this on Kingged.

  29. It was quite unfortunate that I didn’t get to get to know the name of guest poster other than posted by a guest poster.

    I once wrote a post on why women bloggers are more successful than male bloggers and one thing is clear, they are always delivering value.

    • Hey Emmanuel, my info is in the byline of the post. Or you can just click the link to my site here. :)

  30. Great post!

    I personally vote for “Key #3: Offer value to your readers”.

    Having something of values helps bring in more visitors and user engagement.

    Thanks for sharing

  31. Hi everyone, thank you so much for your comments and kind words! I really appreciate it and glad you found my post useful.

    I hope I answered all of those asking specific questions, apologies if I missed any. Feel free to contact me directly through my blog, always happy to help in any way I can!

    Renee

  32. I like all your 5 tips, The #5 impressed me more, “Stay away from dramas”..

  33. I am sure glad I found this site. I just starting my blog on “making money online”. I realize
    by reading this post, that I should target women that are interested in improving their income
    from home.
    Value is the KEY… It is very important offering god content through your blog…
    I tried to add the feminine touch but keeping it professional as it’s a business opportunities information blog.l
    I will be back in a regular basis to visit this site…

    Awesome,

    Thanks,
    Gloria

  34. I totally agree with the points shared here especially the first one. No matter the level of content published on women’s blog if it does not have great visuals women may not be attracted to it. Women are naturally attracted to visuals and a great visual can make a great difference to the success of women’s blog.
    Nice tips, i will definitely have it at the back of my mind when next i design a woman’s blog.

  35. Wow wow wow….!
    All five points were superb i must say. Because it’s simply neat and clear for reading this article. It is much useful Even low knowledge people who uses blog. Nice guidelines. Thanks.

  36. This is really interesting, thanks for bring this info to me. Now i feel i got to know something better.
    Thanks again.

  37. I really like the last point. Gossip and women are inseparable. Btw, its very helpful to me. Knowing who are our reader will make our post more related to them.

  38. Great tips, but why are these specifically geared towards “women”? They could apply to “mens blogs” too if you feel it’s necessary to separate them.

  39. cindielifestyleblog.wordpress. says: 12/08/2017 at 5:47 pm

    Nice tips. And it was really helpful, Thank you!!!

A Practical Podcast… to Help You Build a Better Blog

The ProBlogger Podcast

A Practical Podcast…

Close
Open