11 Genius Tips For New Bloggers
When I first started blogging, I really counted on those who were way more experienced than I was to help me gain some traction. Because if you’re reading this, you probably know already – blogging isn’t easy.
Now that I’ve been doing this for seven years and it’s now my full-time job, I thought I’d share some advice for new bloggers – things I wish I knew when I first started.
I hope it helps, and I hope it empowers you to take your blogging business to the next level!
1. JUST START
I honestly don’t even remember how I started this blog. That’s because it wasn’t something pre-meditated. I didn’t sit in my room analyzing the pros and cons of blogging on some wonderfully designed excel spreadsheet. Nope. I didn’t do that. I had ideas in my brain, I came across a post about how to create a blog, and I just got started. You don’t need all the facts and all the answers to start your blog – you just need the desire to make it happen. Everything else you can learn through online courses and a little help from Google.
2. FIND YOUR HOST
When it comes to hosting your blog, you want a host that’s going to make your life easier. I personally use Bluehost to host this blog, so that’s what I’d recommend you check out.
Here’s a step-by-step guide that’ll walk you through the entire hosting setup process. Believe me, it’s super simple.
3. KEEP AN IDEA JOURNAL
When you first start a blog, it’s like your brain just vomits out ideas. So one of the things you’ll want to do is have an idea journal where you can write them all down until you’re ready to do something with them. That journal will come in handy later down the road on those days when you’re just not feeling all that inspired and need to figure out what you’re gunna post next.
Click here to download a checklist of 100 Blog Post Ideas to help you get started!
4. PAY ATTENTION TO AESTHETICS
You want to focus on creating great content. But one of my biggest tips for new bloggers? Focus on the aesthetics of your blog. Because let’s face it, no one wants to look at an ugly blog.
So what can you do about that? Find pretty high-quality pictures to include in your posts. Take pretty high-quality pictures yourself, even. Make sure that your fonts and your formatting for posts are consistent. And when you stick stuff on your sidebar, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE center things! PRO TIP: If you’re adding images to your sidebar, above the html for the image, add <center> (just like that) and then at the end of the html code, add </center>. It’s amazing what something that simple can do for making your blog look clean.
5. CREATE DRAFT POSTS IN BULK
You won’t always want to write. You’ll wake up some days, look at your computer, and just walk away. Just the thought of writing will stress you out, so for days like this, it’s a good idea to have a few draft posts that you’ve written ahead of time that you can grab and publish. You know those days when you have so much energy and you CAN’T WAIT TO WRITE??!! Take advantage of that motivation and write five or six blog posts that day.
6. READ OTHER BLOGS
I do believe that you ought to create content before consuming it. But at the same time, I could spend hours and hours and hours at a time reading other blogs. Now some people may think that’s not the best use of your time, since it takes time away from writing your own content, but I see it a little differently. Discovering other blogs and reading through their posts totally inspire me and I’ve learned so much through that process.
7. JOIN FACEBOOK GROUPS
I’ve had the opportunity to connect with so many bloggers through several Facebook groups that I’m a part of. Not only do we share our posts amongst each other, but the groups really serve as a support system. They’re groups where we can ask blogging questions and receive responses from people who really know about this stuff. So here are a few you may want to check out: The Blogging Elite, The Blog Loft, and The Blog Love Project.
8. DO YOUR RESEARCH
The past few months I’ve spent so much time reading articles online and reading blogging books. Here are a few of my favorites. Blogging is no different from any other hobby or sport or skill that you’d like to master. If you want to be successful, you need to do some research, read up on the industry, and learn from the best of the best. There’s nothing better to invest in than knowledge.
FYI… that’s exactly why after 7 years of blogging I created my own online course – Side Hobby to Side Hustle. Whether you’re a brand new blogger or someone a little more experienced, I still think it’s important to focus on treating your blog like a business and that’s what I help people do when they enroll in my course.
9. LISTEN TO PODCASTS
If you don’t have time to sit down and read books, there’s so much you can learn from podcasts. I’ve been listening to Patt Flynn’s Smart Passive Income Podcast for years now, and I absolutely love it. When you listen to successful bloggers being interviewed and you hear their stories of how they got started, it really motivates you to keep on going. So yea, every once in a while, instead of jamming in your car listening to music, turn on a podcast and you’ll be amazed at what you can learn in 30 minutes.
10. KEEP TRACK OF YOUR STATS
The only person you should be comparing yourself to is yourself. Look at where you are today, and compare it to where you were a week ago. Sure, there are tons of bloggers with 100k+ page views a month. And yes, if you compare yourself and compare your blog stats to theirs, you’re going to feel defeated, in a way. So don’t do that, because you have no idea how long they’ve been blogging or how much time they devote to their blog and at the end of the day, their story is not YOUR story. Don’t let anyone else’s success kill your motivation. Instead, let it drive you. So track your stats- your page views and your social media followers, and as long as you’re seeing continued progress on a weekly or monthly basis, that’s a pretty clear indicator that you’re doing something right.
11. ENJOY THE PROCESS
HAVE SO MUCH FUN!! Blogging is SUPPOSED TO BE fun! If you’re dreading every second of blogging, then maybe it just isn’t for you. At this point in our lives I fully believe that we should be focusing our time and our energy on things that bring us joy and make us happy. So although blogging may be stressful at times-with deadlines and consistent posting to keep up with- make sure you enjoy the process. Write about topics that interest you. Go to new places that excite you and blog about your experience. Make blogger friends, and build your community. Because if you’re sitting on your couch on the computer hating life, you’re totally doing it wrong.
So that’s it! Any other advice for newbie bloggers?
If you still haven’t taken the plunge into the blogging world, I’d love to help you get set up. Enroll in my FREE 5-day Start A Blog course here and you’ll be blogging in less than a week.
Already have a blog and ready to take it to the next level? I’d love to help walk you through the next phase of your blogging business inside my course, Side Hobby to Side Hustle. Click here to learn more.