Hi friends! I hope you're having a lovely day! It's been just over a year now (+2 months) that I've been blogging and I wanted to share with you all the things I've learned along the way and some aspirations that I have going forward. I didn't know what to expect when I started blogging, it really started out quite random with me just making it a personal diary of sorts and then when I really started to get into it, I found my niche - a lifestyle blog with a sociological twist on things and for some reason that really worked for me.
Hope you enjoy this post!
1 Year, 21 Lessons: The Eye-Opening Realities of Blogging That Changed My Perspective
Things I've learned!
Make sure you have Pinterest Pins on all your blogs (so that people can easily share your post on Pinterest).
Use tools like Pinterest, Flipboard, Mix, and social media to drive traffic to your blog and utilise SEO as much as possible (SEO = Search Engine Optimisation). Sidenote, making sure your site is indexed - there is a plethora of information out there, so use it. Same for alt text - that's a good thing to add to your site too!
People love free stuff - encourage them to subscribe to your mailing list with a freebie! I am still working on mine!
Diversify how you monetise your blog - i.e., ad networks, affiliate marketing, selling products, selling stock photos, using apps like "buy me a coffee" so that you're not relying on one thing. If you have enough spare time or you are doing this full time, then one suggest I have is to further diversify income streams like a 2nd blog, or doing freelance gigs or making a YouTube channel and so on.
People are going to judge you for having a blog, don't let that stop you from your passion.
Create a content calendar if you have more than one blog i.e., (if you make vlogs like me too).
Repurpose content where you can.
People LOVE recipes and food blogs, use that to your advantage.
Make sure you have a privacy policy, disclaimers where you need them, and an about me page (and a FAQ if appropriate).
Your blog MUST be visually appealing otherwise people won't visit. Smartphones have amazing cameras now but I think a lot of the more well-known bloggers (for example, Recipe Tin Eats), use really good cameras. I am lucky that I currently have a Canon R6. I'd love to one day buy a second camera so I can have one for vlogging and one for photography and not have to swap out the lenses.
Network, network, network.
Focus on building your mailing list BEFORE anything else.
Consistency is key and I know that's cliche, but it's true.
How to use Wix's blogging platform - but I also think WordPress is really good too.
Being a freelance blogger is great for tax purposes.
It takes time to get known in the blogging community, even if you are an expert in your chosen subject area (like I'm a sociologist, but it takes time to build a parasocial relationship with your audience and build trust).
Be vulnerable, trust yourself, and write what you want to write. If you're not passionate about what you're writing, it will come through in your posts.
Guest posts are amazing ways to increase your traffic.
Blogging is a marathon, not a sprint. Slow and steady wins the race.
You will be amazed by who you connect with through your blog, who wants to read your content, and who you inspire.
You won't run out of ideas and if you think you do, we have the wonderful wide web at our fingertips.
Aspirations going forward
I actually want to start a 2nd blog all about food where I can do food reviews, and recipes, show snacks we find in Australia (and NZ), and be an all around foodie blog!
I want to use WordPress instead of Wix for my 2nd blog as I think there's a lot more helpful tools for WordPress out there and extra plugins.
Apply to different ad networks and affiliate programs.
Invest more time, money, and energy into my blog.
Network a bit more (i.e., don't be ashamed when someone asks me what I do for a living and show them my blog - the same for my YT channel). I'm still working on this one.
Work on getting 10K+ views per month on asheycakes.
Be more open and honest on my blog, and keep up with my life updates each month.
Plan a bit better - I just got a whiteboard so I could write stuff down and see it visually and it's great because I can tick stuff off it.
Spend more time commenting on other people's blogs and YouTube videos and find my community.
Work on my secret project (it's been on hold) and introduce a free digital download (like a self-care printable).
Invest in one of those mini vlogging cameras so that it's a bit easier to vlog in public.
Focus on my Facebook page (I was kinda late to the game, but I want to get that gaining a bit more traction).
Batch and be more consistent with my Freaky Friday Files.
Write both short and long blogs.
Build blogging skills e.g., learn more SEO stuff, take a blogging course, and review old articles + update if need.
Further my Canva skills. I love Canva but I feel like I could further develop my skills there.
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