Clean Up Your Blog - A to Z Preparation

Updated repeat from a 2012 blog post:

I'm fine tuning my blog in preparation for the, hopefully, gazillion visitors I'll have during the month of April. Okay, so maybe not a gazillion, but a lot more than normal. I just read and implemented some of the tips on Sommer Leigh's blog post, Sommer’s Top Ten Tips for A-to-Zing it in April.

There was one tip that REALLY caught my attention since I recently vented about it: Blogger and Word Verification [rant] If you want people to comment, you really need to make it easy for them to do so. Check your blog to be sure, and while there check to be sure you allow anonymous commenters as well (as mentioned by Sommer).

One missing tip that helps keep your blog looking professional as well as identifying it once loaded. It's time to add a favicon to your blog. For years professionals have used favicons to identify their websites. For those with blogs hosted on their own domains, it's an easy enough process to create the .ico file and upload it to the home directory. I use the freeware program IrfanView (PC only) to create .ico files from images. You can easily crop, resize and 'Save As' with this program (and much more).

But for those of us using Blogger, we were left out in the cold. Not any more! If you look at your browser tab, you will see the icon with my face (from my blog header). I use that for my blog as well as my website, DonnaMcNicol.com.

Blogger has made the process even simpler, you just need an image that will be quite clear (keep it simple) and square (you will get an error if you are even one pixel off). Then you upload it. Blogger will handle the conversion to a .ico file. If you don't like the result, just chose another image. HINT: Irfanview will let you resize and match dimensions so your image is square. Just uncheck the box "Preserve aspect ratio".

Here is a blog that explains the process in more detail: How to Add or Change Your Favicon in Blogger and here is how it will look to you (the steps are the same). Click to enlarge.

Don't be afraid to try several images. Once loaded you will see the small image on your Blogger layout page. Don't like it? Not clear enough? Load a different one.

Here are a couple of place to search for icons: Find Icons and Icon Finder. UPDATE: 2018/10/30 Here is a great online site to create an icon from most any image. Favicon Generator

Think about what you want to represent your site. It could be as simple as your initials, a logo you already have or something connected to the purpose of your blog. For me that was easy....I am a writer, thus the pen. Happy icon hunting!

Want more good tips on cleaning up your blog? Check out Anne R. Allen's blog series:

• Part I: How to Blog, Part II: How not to Blog 
• Part III: What to Blog About
• Part IV: Difficult Blog Visitors
• Part V: 12 Dos and Don’ts for Author-Bloggers