It is an eye-opening experience starting and maintaining a blog. One of the best pieces of advice I can give is, if you love it, don’t give it up.
I began this blog years ago and have had to take time off frequently due to various things like moving or caring for a parent. I thought about dropping it because I wasn’t posting regularly (don’t misinterpret this, to be successful you need to be consistent), but I have found that my site is still pulling in views and my affiliate links are still getting clicked even when I am not posting. It makes sense if you believe you will be back, to let it ride so you get to take off from where you were not begin again from scratch.
It is completely natural to be feeling a bit doubtful, overwhelmed or just wondering if all of the time you are putting into it is worth it. You’ll make mistakes, but you’ll learn from them. There is an audience for really everything, so be sure to pick a subject that you are passionate about.
Focus
My second piece of advice is please, please, please do not compare yourself.
I started networking and built up three Facebook groups, I led link parties and did lots of work with other bloggers. I started “blogging school” which was a great idea if I was doing a course or launch but I was new and just did it to help people. I noticed many of my friends who started when I did, some who didn’t have the greatest looking blog and fewer posts with little effort were crushing it. I was not. It was very hard to figure out. I also had a group that I worked with teaching them all I knew about link parties, take my entire group and start a new group of their own doing exactly what I was doing. Ugh! You have to be ready for people who aren’t team players. As a natural born teacher, I really loved helping others. What I realized is I had to make a choice. I can help others and spend all of my time focused on them or I can launch books and courses to do the same thing and advance myself at the same time.
I closed all of my groups and said goodbye to networking. I have since found that I can learn and grow on my own. However, lots of people thrive in groups, so if that’s you, go for it.
Know Your Why
I truly believe that we all have a voice and can make a difference in this world. It doesn’t matter whether it is DIY, Food, Decorating, you may think who cares after a while, but the posts I read are posts that share the heart of the author. They tell stories that stir memories and I leave feeling changed, happy, blessed! So if you stick with it, keep learning and sharing your passion in this incredible journey, you will see success!
My daughter and I began a blog and a YouTube channel at the same time. She has been faithful to her YouTube channel all of these years, while her blog was shut down the first month. It wasn’t her thing. Me, on the other hand, while I love filming…editing and all come more difficult and I love to write, so no matter how tempted I am at times to stop, I CAN’T. I love designing graphics which is blogging. I love affiliate marketing which is blogging. I love writing to help others which is blogging, so I can’t stop regardless of the return, I just love it.
Basics for Setting Up Your Blog
HOSTING
The Very First Thing You Need
Setting up a blog requires hosting. I have used several hosts over the years. You change based on services and how fast you grow, along with price.
My recommendation for beginners is Blue Host. You will get your domain for FREE, so don’t pay for that somewhere else.
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Coming soon, my graphic design studio. Can't wait to share with all who visit.
