With the start of a new year (okay, I may be a little behind), I’ve been reflecting a lot lately on the past year and my blog. I started Littles, Life, & Laughter last May, just two short months before the birth of my son. At the time, I had every intention of building my blogging empire during my maternity leave (ha!). Although I may not be quite where I thought I would by now, I can honestly look back and say that starting my blog was one of the best decisions I have ever made. After a lot of reflection, excitement, frustration, late nights, and lessons learned, I’m sharing 10 things I learned after 8 months of blogging.
1. Blogging is hard work
This may seem obvious, but when I first started out, I had no idea the amount of time and effort it takes to successfully run a blog. The reality is, if you want to become a blogger, you better be prepared to put in some real work. There is so much more to blogging than just writing and publishing posts. In addition to designing and maintaining your site, you’ll be in charge of managing multiple social media accounts, promoting posts, responding to comments and e-mails, networking, creating and launching e-mail subscription campaigns, branding, researching trends, and so much more!
2. There is so much to learn
In fact, there is so much to learn about blogging that it can be completely overwhelming at times. The good news is, there are so many amazing and free resources out there on almost any topic related to blogging. Spend some time looking around and developing relationships with other bloggers and you can find some amazing tutorials, videos, e-courses, webinars, and detailed blog posts to help you master each step of your blogging adventure.
3. The blogging community is supportive
I’ve talked about this previously in my post, 5 Reasons to Start a Blog, but it needs to be said again. The blogging community is one of the most supportive groups of people I’ve been lucky enough to become a part of. Bloggers all around the world offer encouragement, advice, and wisdom for newbies, which is nice to find in a competitive world. Fellow bloggers also offer a chance to collaborate and help get your blog seen by larger audiences when you are first starting out.
4. You must invest in yourself
You know that saying, you’ve got to spend money to earn money? Well, it applies to any business and if your goal is to monetize your blog, then blogging is no exception. In addition to hosting and domain fees, find the areas that you need help in and invest there. Whether that’s taking a paid e-course, hiring a blog coach, or outsourcing tasks to a virtual assistant, allocate some money to put back into your business, especially in the early stages.
5. Blogging takes time
This is one of the most important things I’ve learned in blogging. In the short time I’ve been doing this, I’ve seen too many people burn out because they were expecting to make a full-time salary from their blog in just a few months. While that might be the case for a few (and more likely for those who have unlimited time to devote to their blog), starting and growing any business from scratch takes time and patience.
Sometimes posts take a while to gain traction. For example, in October of last year I published a post on Coping Skills Cards. Although it didn’t have a lot of interest at first, almost four months later it was shared by a psychologist with a large following on Facebook. My traffic exploded and my blog has still seen an increase in page views since then. It even landed me my first affiliate sale!
6. Planning is important
There is so much to schedule and keep up with when blogging that planning and organization are vital! Writing down your goals and schedule also helps keep you accountable. I’ve always been a paper planner kind of girl, but there are so many options out there, whether it is digital or old-school paper and pen. I also keep a notebook to record stats, ideas, short-term and long-term goals, and plan out posts and social media.
7. Branding should be done sooner rather than later
When I first started blogging, I would see advice everywhere on the importance of branding. Did I listen? No. Did I regret this later? Yes! If you want your blog to be recognizable and to have a clear and consistent theme, decide on a brand early on or you may find yourself where I did: several months into it and re-designing your blog and post images from scratch.
8. You shouldn’t rely on one source of traffic
This is a big one. There are so many different avenues to gain organic traffic these days: Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and StumbleUpon are a few. However, the biggest one that I think often gets overlooked is SEO. This one can take some time but can also really pay off in the long run. Think of how often you Google something and check out that page. What if your blog was ranked in the first page of a Google search? You would be attracting quality visitors who are looking for exactly what you’re offering. With a little patience and research, you can master the art of SEO and make it work for you.
9. Blogging is fun
If it wasn’t, why would we do it? I love writing and sharing my ideas with the world. There are so many different reasons behind why we blog, but how exciting is it that there are people out there who are interested in what we have to say? Make sure you have some solid reasons behind why you want to start a blog. These are the things that will get you through the tough times, when the research seems overwhelming or the traffic takes a dip, or you’re feeling a little less motivated to keep going.
10. You can be successful
This might be my favorite. Since I’ve entered the blogging world and connected with so many different people from around the world, it’s been amazing to watch people grow their blogs and traffic from scratch. But the most exciting part of all is watching my own hard work pay off. This month I made my first affiliate sales and traffic continues to grow! I truly believe that there is enough room for bloggers everywhere to be successful if you work hard and keep at it!
There are so many more but here are 10 things I learned after 8 months of blogging. No matter how far you are on your blogging journey, what are some of the lessons you’ve learned? Leave a comment to help encourage and support those just starting out. If you found this post useful, please share!
igrowhort says
Very useful and realistic information that any blogger can relate to, a beautiful read.
Christina says
Thank you so much, I’m glad you found it useful!
Jessica Lam says
This is all so true! I’ve been blogging for a year and a half now, and I’ve only just recently discovered a lot of these things!
Christina says
Thank you, Jessica! That is one of my favorite things about blogging, that I’m always discovering new things!
Jeremy Atkins says
Well said! I’ve been blogging since December 2015 and I am amazed at the amount of time and effort it takes. I have found so much support from Facebook groups. I’m not sure I’d still be blogging if I didn’t have those resources to fall back on. Thanks for sharing your tips and best of luck. I love your logo!
Christina says
Thank you so much, Jeremy! I could not agree more about the support from other bloggers. They have been a godsend and a lifesaver more times than I can count!
Lianne Benning says
Very true! It takes A LOT of time and effort, but I just love it so much. I’m getting the hang of it slowly though so I’m a little less overwhelmed by now. Still need to tackle quite a few things though, so there will be lots of screentime for me in the next couple of weeks!
Christina says
I love it too and I think that’s what keeps me going when it gets to be overwhelming! Luckily, you are completely right that once you start to get the hang of it, it gets a lot easier!
Mindy @ Just A One Girl Revolution says
Totally agree on the branding – I started blogging in 2010 and wish I had done that back then.
Christina says
I totally wish I had listened to that advice when I first started out but I was so eager to jump in that I didn’t give it much thought! I checked out your new blog and the branding and logo look gorgeous!
Rachel Ritlop says
All great points and things I have found to be true in my first year of blogging too!
Christina says
Thank you, Rachel and congrats on your blog!
Chelsea Catherine says
So true! I’ve been having trouble finding a community of bloggers to get plugged into who might collaborate with me, though! Any ideas?
Christina says
Hi Chelsea, check out the Facebook groups: Online Business BFFs and Blogging Newbs. These are two groups that I’m currently a part of that are full of helpful and supportive bloggers!
Claire says
Every single one of these points are so relatable! Glad to know it’s not just me 🙂
Christina says
Thanks so much Claire! I think most bloggers have been there, we all have to start somewhere!
Christine says
These are all so true! I’m definitely trying to work on branding this year. 🙂
Christina says
Hi Christine, I’ve been working hard on mine too and I’ve noticed a huge difference in aesthetics and engagement!
Mama Harris says
Couldn’t agree with you more on every point, I’ve been blogging since 2012 and feel like I’m still learning!
Christina says
There is so much to learn and the blogging world is always changing and updating, but it’s also such a great feeling to learn and grow as you go!
Alicia says
Agree with all of these girl. It’s such a big learning curve but you seem to have learned so much already! Good luck with it!! xx
Christina says
Thanks Alicia! I learned some great advice from a very successful blogger who shared that one of her personal goals is to learn something new about blogging each and every day. While I’m not there yet, I am on my way!
Nicole says
I concur on every point. The blogging community is definitely supportive. I’m finding that FB groups are really helping me to connect with like-minded people. I’m pinning your post to my Be a Better Book Blogger board. Have an awesome week.
Christina says
Thanks so much, Nicole! Facebook groups have completely changed blogging for me in the most positive way. I feel so lucky to be a part of such a supportive and encouraging community of people!
Kelly says
Love this post! So true- blogging is A LOT of work! But so fun and rewarding too!
Christina says
Thanks so much, Kelly! Coming up closer to two years in and it’s still a lot of fun!
Shirley F. says
Hi Christina-I’m new to blogging and would like to know what you mean exactly by “branding”. I loved this post. I”m not a “jump in with both feet” kind of girl and can get a little overwhelmed with not knowing what I don’t know.
On a side note, I’m very interested in your perspective as a military wife. I am not one, however I am a fairly new military mom of a commissioned officer in flight school (Pensacola). Do you have any suggestions for blogs to visit addressing this niche?
Thank you in advance for all of your insight!