How I’ve Managed 7 Years of Blogging

I started this blog 7 years ago. WordPress reminded me this year that it’s actually been that long. It doesn’t feel that long at all but here we are. When I started I thought I had a clear vision of what I wanted to accomplish. Looking back to the very first year, I’d say I had no idea what I was doing. Of course, there were moments of clarity where I shared useful information but for the most part, I treated it like a diary. I shared information that fellow wordpress.com bloggers/readers enjoyed but the average internet user would never care about.

Fast forward to today I know I have a growing, profitable blog with endless possibilities ahead of me. But how did I do it? Here are my 3 top tips for growing a blog right the first time.

1. Write useful content for others

It’s natural to stumble when starting out in unfamiliar territory. This is exactly why babies creep before the walk or when they try to walk it’s wobbly and not the best. But slowly as they keep practising walking becomes easier and their legs grow stronger. It’s the same with blogging. Writing useful content is highly subjective. I thought the topics I wrote about initially were useful but they were most useful to me. 

To truly find your voice and the purpose of your content you’ll need to do some introspection and a lot of research. Think of it as a business. The best business ideas are the ones where the service or product solves a problem. The more people there are with the problem, the more likely your solution will bring success. It’s the same with blogging, think of some information or skill you can impart to others that will solve a problem they are having and voila! You have a theme to start writing useful content.

Related: How To Balance Blogging and a 9-5

2. Consistency is key

The internet and all its social media sites love consistency. Google is no different. As the go-to search engine for so many of us, it’s easy to see why ranking on Google’s first page of search results is so important as a blogger. There are a number of strategies that can help you attain this and I’ll talk about a few of these before this list is done but consistency is one you cannot overlook.

Some people may say blogging is dead but there’s a reason why online writing jobs are so abundant. There’s an unsatisfiable need for the written word on the internet because it’s one of the best ways to search for information. Words help to match the researcher with the words he is looking for. 

Once you’ve identified the core theme of your blog, consistently write about it. If you can write 2-3 posts a week that’s great, if you can write quality articles every day that’s even better. This level of consistency allows you to establish your presence on the internet and vie for more keywords in your niche.

3. Engage with your community

This is one of my favourite parts of being a blogger. I love getting feedback from my readers and hearing what you have to say. Believe me, when I say seeing your comments absolutely makes my day. 

A very important part of creating a successful blog is staying in tune with your community. Emily Haney from Create Explore Read does a good job of engaging with her community, so much so she has their support in her role as a book author.

Similarly, with some luck, your blog community will become your tribe, they will grow with you and support you through several phases of your life so treat them well.

Related: How to Make Money Blogging In Jamaica

4. Never stop exploring/learning/growing

Blogging has caused me to grow. Many of you have been around since www.thesunnysideja.com days or even from before when my blog was called A Daily Dose of Reality and you would have seen the growth. Part of this growth was opening up to being someone who could influence people positively. I didn’t exactly want to be known as an influencer for fear of the negative connotations but the truth is influencing is necessary. It’s how motivational speakers get you to believe in yourself and chase after your goals.

Influencer marketing is big business today and though the influence can sometimes be misplaced there are still great influencers out there. I aim to be one by growing and exploring and learning to better myself all while taking you guys on the journey with me. My job as an influencer is to show where being authentically yourself can lead you.

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