Just as a disclaimer to begin this post; I have been blogging for about a year and a half now and am by no means an “expert” blogger but I have learned many things throughout this journey that I believe would be extremely helpful and bring a ton of value to new bloggers.
Let’s start from scratch:
When considering a topic for your blog (if you haven’t already created yours already), think about what makes you “tick.” What can you talk about for hours, what gives you that spark, what are you super passionate about? Whatever “that” is, center the ‘theme’ of your blog around that. If it’s fashion that you want to be the focus of your blog, for example, then your theme, blog name, content, etc. should be focused around fashion. For me, I have many passions – travel, wellness, skincare, fashion, productivity, time management, etc. so my blog is considered a “lifestyle” blog where I talk about everything that is relevant to my life. This makes sense for me, but it’s different for everyone!
The one thing I’ll say about blogging is that is extremely saturated. There are so many people blogging, and the way you can be successful is to be unique. Yes, it’s that easy! You and you’re life, which is unique to you, is what will make you a successful blogger. You’re authenticity will go a long way; you just need stick with it.
Be consistent:
Consistency is what will make your readers come back for more. When you post great content that brings value to them, they’ll keep coming back for more. Create a realistic posting schedule and stick with it. If you can only post once a week, great – just make sure you stick with that schedule so your readers can know when to expect a post.
Self-host your site:
Like many others, I started my blog on wordpress.com, which gave me the wonderful domain of www.lifewithkim.wordpress.com. This domain wasn’t appropriate for reaching out to brands. Self-hosting wasn’t too difficult or expensive and was 100% worth it. If you don’t know already from my previous posts, I’m obsessed with Bluehost, not only for their professionalism but also for their patience and expertise.
Connect with your audience:
Your audience is the most important aspect of all of this. Respond to comments, encourage discussion, and keep them engaged. Building relationships and connecting with your audience will help you grow quickly.
Stay Authentic:
I mentioned this above, but after you’ve gained some traction, you’ll most likely have a bunch of brands reaching out to you to collaborate. At this point, your audience will most likely know you very well and will know when you’re doing something just for the money, or if it’s something you truly love. Don’t take short-term gains that result in long term loss.
Keep your page fresh:
Once you’ve created the backbone design for your blog, be sure to frequently update and refresh your page to keep it fun, easy to navigate, etc. There are some plug-ins on WordPress that give you feedback on your page loading speed, and where people tend to drop off – use this information to your advantage to make necessary improvements.
If there is anything I missed, or something you want me to expand on, let me know!
What have your experiences been as a new blogger? What do you feel is the most challenging part of the whole process? For the seasoned bloggers, mention anything you believe would bring value!
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