My Blogging Thoughts
I will have to place the blame on Pinterest. Pinterest is where I discovered the world of blogging. And truthfully, I had never heard of Pinterest. A friend had mentioned several times that some ideas she had implemented in her yard had come from Pinterest. So, one day I googled Pinterest and discovered Blogs, and here I am.
It seems like I have been on this blogging journey for a very long time. But time flies when you're having fun. And I am having fun.
When I started this trip, I thought it would be pretty easy and straightforward. That was my first mistake.
My second mistake was thinking success would come quickly. It became evident rather quickly that success was not a quick accomplishment.
The truth is I started blogging without a clue as to what was involved in the process. It looked exciting and kind of fun. And it is. But it's way more complicated than it looked.
I never really understood all that goes into blogging. And there is a lot to blogging. And I am beginning to realize that organization and planning is key to blogging.
I have to learn to be more focused, more organized, and more productive.
From the very beginning, it was a learning experience. I knew absolutely nothing about setting up a website. And quite frankly, there are still a lot of things I have yet to learn about websites. My site is still lacking in many ways. But, I am learning as I go along.
Writing good quality content is one of the biggest challenges of blogging. I keep telling myself that I can do this. I will work to improve. But can I? Doubt creeps in. But I keep going. I guess I am hoping that practice makes perfect. That's not exactly a good plan is?
You don't just jump into writing content. You have to plan out your blog post. What is it you want to tell the reader? Or better yet, what does the reader want you to say to them?
You also have to research your topic and, of course, a title for your post.
Now I know that sounds easy enough. But you have to make sure you use keywords and do your best to get your blog noticed. And I still have a lot more work to do to get my blog noticed more. It takes time and effort, and I have not been giving my all to it. I am going to have to step up and get moving.
But finishing up the writing content is not the end of it. No, then you need to find just the right photos to go with your blog post. Or if you have the talent and the necessary props, you can take your own photos.
One of my goals is, at some point, to be taking my photos instead of using the stock photos. But that will have to wait a while.
Just a few of the required blogging duties-
Topics- You need to have a list of topics on hand. Some bloggers will plan their whole years' worth of blog posts. So far, I have not become that organized. Maybe someday.
Research-Once you have your topic, it's time to sit down and do the research.
Then plan out and format your rough draft. Then it's edit and edit. And then, of course, that pesky SEO, which I am still trying to get a handle on. (Search Engine Optimization)
But finishing up the writing content is not the end of it. No, then you need to find just the right photos to go with your blog post. Or if you have the talent and the necessary props, you take your own pictures.
One of my goals is, at some point, to be taking my photos instead of using the stock photos.
Then once you have clicked published, it's time to promote and promote some more. Social media here you come. And most days, you wonder if any of your attempts at promoting on social media are even having an affect. Oh, and lets not forget all those pins we have to make for Pinterest.
Most days, I feel like I am just spinning my wheels and getting nowhere. And then out of the blue, I will have a day where things seem to be going exceptionally well. And then, I am optimistic and feeling confident and ready to leap tall buildings like I have some superpowers.
Sadly, those feelings don't last as long as I would like, and once again, I am getting nowhere. But you know what? It's okay; I will continue to work in the belief that I can do this.
I have learned to appreciate every tiny accomplishment and celebrate them as victories.
Those little celebrations are what keeps me going.
I have not entirely decided on my definition of blogging success?
So for me right now, success would be more traffic coming to my blog. Readers are an essential part of a blog. And sadly, one of the hardest parts of blogging is getting those readers to your blog.
More traffic would be a significant accomplishment for me. And it would be a big celebration for me.
If I can get my blog traffic up, then I might be able to decide what success for me would be.
The list below is just a small sampling of the terms that keep me awake at night.
SEO
Back Link
Bounce Rate
Brand
Favicon
Domain Authority
Keywords
Social Media Engagement.
I am not sure I will ever have a complete grasp of what most of the terms mean. But, I keep working on it. I keep reading up on blogging and following so many bloggers that I admire. There are genuinely some amazingly talented bloggers.
But one thing I have learned and have heard repeated many times is don't compare yourself to other bloggers.
And I found that to be so true. We all have to make our journey and follow where it takes us. But where it takes us is entirely up to us. Either we put in the time the work or we don't.
I apologize for my rambling. Sitting here and typing have been a way for me to put my thoughts on blogging in some order — sort of a way for me to reflect on where I started and how I have moved forward. As long as I can continue to move forward, I will consider that to be a measure of my success.
Comments