Adding Social Media Icons to your Blog

Want your readers to stay connected?  Here's an easy way to add clickable social media buttons to your Blogger blog without code editing or third party hosting.  And it takes less than ten minutes!

Steps:

1.  Find Social Media buttons you'd like to use, make sure you download them so you have quality png versions.

2.  Go to your dashboard and select New Post.  This post will never be published so title it accordingly.

3. Switch over to html, it's important to upload your images while in html to avoid spaces that get created when in compose.

4.  Upload your social media icons using the insert image button. When prompted to choose a layout, select None.

5.  Once all your images are uploaded, now you can switch to the Compose and use the toolbar to centre your icons.  

6.  Now it's time to link each of your icons to your social media pages.  As you do this, make sure that you keep the box that asks for a title blank.

7.  Once all your links are done, revert to the HTML editing and select all of the html code you have now created, and save it. 

8.  Now it's time to place your icons on the side column where they will always be highly visible.  Go to your layout and select add a gadget.  Find HTML/JavaScript in your list.

9.  Once you've selected that gadget, simply paste the code that copied earlier and save! Go to your preview and it's there. 

That's all it takes. Sure, there are third party applications that do this as well, but when you do it yourself, you have more control on the final outcome.

The Need for Links in your Blog

Why?

Your blog is a resource tool for your reader. It’s important that you create a solid resource for them.   This can be done through a useful set of practical tips, tools to solve a problem, and, of course, links to other sites.

Links - it’s part of what makes a blog a blog. It takes time and should be an on-going process.

Be sure to include links to other bloggers, external sites and even defining a heteroclite word.  Links serve as a way to get further information. Links are one way to direct other bloggers back to your site.  By linking to another blogger or blog entry they’ll often find your blog through their stats, thus building your community.

Simply put, "linking out" makes your site a more valuable, scalable resource and encourages positive participation and contribution.

According to Rand Fishkin of the Moz Blog "Linking is common practice on the web - expected and respected by users of all kinds - and therefore, extremely unlikely to harm your reputation."

It also helps your SEO.  Google likes to see outgoing links to relevant and reputable websites.

Don't forget Internal Links.  Social Media Examiner reminds you to build in a couple of links to other pages within your site. The link will still hold search engine value even though it’s coming from within the same site.

How?

Blogger makes linking to another website very easy. Simply highlight the word you'd like to turn into a link and then hit the link button on the toolbar.

A pop-up window will appear where you enter the URL you'd like to link to.
Be sure to check off "open this link in a new window" so your readers won't be navigated away from your site.