6 Tips for Starting a Successful Blog

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Starting out, I tried to create this blog three times before I did it correctly on the third try. Here is what I learned from my mistakes, these are my 6 tips for starting a successful blog!

Do your research

When I started my blog, I went with the “dive right in” approach. This, very unsurprisingly, was not the right technique.

Before you start your blog, do your research. Surf the internet and find other blogs that you like. You obviously do not want to copy someone else’s blog, but you want to get ideas of what you can do, what you can’t do. Also, you want to know what else is out there that you’re competing with. You can start a whole blog without doing research and come up with a visual layout that you like, and then realize that the other blogs out there are lightyears fancier than yours! That is what I did the first time.

I’m pretty sure my four-year-old nephew could create a blog that looks more professional than my first blog set up.

Also research hosting sites and blogging software. My first time around I created a blog in Blogger for the simple reason that I already had a google account. I’m not knocking Blogger, I’m just pointing out how silly of a reason that is to use their services. And then I read WordPress was great so I went on WordPress.com and created an account, only to find out that to do what I want I have to be on WordPress.org. Who knew there were two different types of WordPress! I sure didn’t. Because I didn’t do my research!

Create a blog on a topic you are passionate about

Anyone can create a blog on anything. Nothing is stopping you. But as a thirty-year-old teacher, if I were to start a blog about what it’s like to be a nurse, I would not have a lot of interesting things to say. If you hate your job in finance, don’t start a blog about finance, you’re not going to enjoy working on your blog either. If you love to travel on a budget, share your stories, share your tips with others. I would LOVE to find the cheapest way to go to Europe!

Everyone has something they are passionate about, tap into that.

Learn from people who have been successful

After my failed attempt with Blogger, I started my blog on WordPress.com and I was getting no traffic. So I started looking around the internet for how to find ways to boost my traffic.

In my search, I found and took many different online courses, some free and some paid. The first one that I really learned from was from Createandgo.co I took a course from Alex and Lauren at Create and go called Pinterest Traffic Avalanche.

This amazing course helped me set up and create a successful Pinterest account with a verified website and rich pins. Their course also comes with Facebook support groups where I can continue to get help from the teachers and everyone else who is in my boat.

After I found Alex and Lauren at Create and Go, I was hooked. I also took their courses, Six Figure Blogger, and Launch Your Blog Biz. These two courses helped me convert my site to WordPress.org, where I wanted to be and helped me learn how to monetize my blog. I was so much more prepared to have a successful blog through these courses.

Social Media

If you want to drive traffic to your blog, you have to use social media. You do not have to go from no experience with social media to running 5 different types of accounts. Start small. The biggest boost in traffic for me comes from Pinterest. Pinterest is a place where I can regularly post rich, vibrant pins to bring people to my blog posts. I also use Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter but the traffic from them is significantly less. Social media is important because it is a way to tell people about yourself and your blog.

For help creating your Pinterest account, try Pinterest Traffic Avalanche

Create 5-10 posts before you go live

When I started my first blog on Blogger, I tried to gain traffic one post at a time. Before you go live, create your first 5 -10 posts so that you can start with a bang. The more content you have on the internet, the more opportunities you have to get attention.

Focus on the content & be patient

When you start a blog it is easy to get hung up on checking your traffic figures. Even now I check my WordPress app on my phone multiple times a day to see how many people are reading my posts. But I also check my bank accounts a few times a day even though I know I have not spent or earned any money. I think I am just “click-happy”.

The more content you post, the more you are out there and the traffic will come. As long as you are working hard, promoting your site, and creating strong content, it will happen. I say strong content for a reason. You need to put information out there that people are going to want to read. Give them information that will help them with a problem that they may have. What is something that you know that can make someone else’s life easier?

Conclusion

Starting a blog is the best thing I ever did. I find it entertaining and exciting. It takes up a lot of my time, but it doesn’t feel like work. It gives me an outlet to share my thoughts and experiences. Depending on the route you take, it doesn’t have to be expensive. If you’re thinking of starting a blog, but are scared, just go for it!