8 Things You Should Know Before Starting A Blog

With more bloggers than ever producing content on the internet, blogging has become extremely popular. While blogging may seem like an attractive thing to do, there are a lot of things you should know about it before getting started.

Many bloggers think that success and traffic will come easy, but they’re in for something else. While blogging is easy to set up, it’s extremely difficult to consistently write great content while bringing relevant traffic to your site.

In this blog article, I will share with you 8 things you should know before starting a blog.

1. Focus Your Content

Before writing your content, you need to focus on one specific topic. Typically, your topic choice should reflect your skills, expertise, and passions.

Once you have focused in on the type of content you want to write, make sure all your articles somehow revolve around the general topic you choose. The quickest way to lose traffic and readership is to write about things that your audience doesn’t care about.

2. Consistency Is Key

Bloggers rarely know the huge responsibility they’re getting themselves into. By blogging, you vow to write great content on a consistent basis. If you promise your readers that you will post every 3 days, you HAVE to post every 3 days.

Many blogs disintegrate quickly because the blogger loses interest or cannot keep up with the posting schedule he/she started with. It seems like lots of fun when you get started, but you HAVE to be consistent.

3. Traffic Has To Come From Somewhere

Many bloggers start a blog and get extremely frustrated when they cannot bring in much traffic. On paper, bringing in traffic to a blog seems easy since most people don’t know what struggles bloggers go through.

Just opening up a blog alone will not get you much (if any) traffic. You need to spend 25% of your time writing great content and the other 75% of your time finding ways to bring free or paid traffic to your website.

4. Don’t Lie In Your Titles

Many people think a great way to promote their articles and get a lot of readers is to write amazing titles. Typically, these amazing titles end up being fake or cannot deliver on the promise.

When you write a title and someone sees it, they are expecting you to deliver on the title that you have promised them. Always make sure your title backs up the content in your article!

5. 6 Figure Incomes, 4 Hour Work Days, and Vacations Don’t Come Easy

The blogging world has been corrupted by many individuals who have sold people on false hopes and dreams. While it’s definitely possible to live a great life by making passive income from running a blog, the chances of it happening are very low.

Even more than that, most of the successful bloggers who make 6 figure incomes and take vacations all around the world entered the blogging sphere in the early 2000’s. Don’t start a blog thinking this will happen to you in a few months because it takes years of hard work and great content to be on this path.

6. Quality Outweighs Quantity

Marketing a blog can be very challenging. You can spend $100 on a PPC campaign, bring 500 visitors, and get zero positive value out of it.

Bringing in a shit ton of traffic to your blog won’t make your website popular. Blogs need to have a community of loyal readers who return to the website on a regular basis. Instead of looking for ways to bring large amounts of visitors, find ways to bring a few visitors who you know will convert to long-term readers.

7. You’re On Your Own

Unless you have a budget to outsource design, development, or online marketing work to third party companies, you’re truly on your own with your blog.

You’re in charge of uploading pictures, editing/cleaning up the website, adding new information/content, and running your own marketing campaigns. Blogging isn’t for slackers and you have to be committed to your craft.

8. Do It For Anything But The Money

If you’re starting a blog, do it because you love writing about a specific topic. Don’t start a blog because you see someone living an amazing life as a professional blogger.

If you do it for the money, your content stinks and your judgment is clouded by your desire to make some cash. It’s great to make money off any website, but it shouldn’t be the main reason why you’re starting.

Conclusion

Blogging is a very exciting, but challenging thing for people to take on. It’s extremely fun and rewarding, but be sure to know these 8 things before starting a blog.

photo credit: Telstar Logistics via photopin cc

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