(Newswire.net — November 9, 2017) — Listen. I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news or anything, but chances are that blog you’ve been working so hard at, the one you write for every day, it probably isn’t going to pan out. Don’t take it too hard, according to some estimates there are at least 400 million blogs circulating worldwide. Taking into account the world’s total population is somewhere around 7 billion people, that is only 17.5 people for each individual blog. Not a lot of wiggle room there. It’s just a dose of cold, sobering, reality that the majority of blogs end up failing. That doesn’t mean they can’t be a success though. If you listen to the people who have created a successful blog, they all say the same things.
Spend Less Time Creating and More Time Promoting
The beginner blogger thinks that if he or she creates enough content, or if they are able to just get that one lucky review, they will make it big. It’s like math, one would think. More blogs = more chances at being seen. Also, More blogs = better blogs. Neither of these are true though. You can write a 1000-word blog a day, but it won’t matter if you can’t bring people into to see it. What you need to do is spend less time creating and more time promoting.
I know, I know. Promoting sucks. It is the cancer that ruins art. It’s time-consuming, at times awkward, and can feel like selling out. Get over it. If you want to have a successful blog you have to not only be dedicated to creating content, but you also have to be ready to push its existence out into the world at every opportunity. I’m not saying you should shout from your rooftop about how great your snickerdoodle cookie recipes are (you should though), but you have to understand that if you don’t tell other people about it no one will care.
One easy way to promote your own blog is pitch guest blog spots on other people’s page. Find a blog you admire (perhaps one with a tad more followers than yours) and approach the author of the page about writing a guest blog. Offer your website as a spot for them to write as well, and if all goes well you will have gained new pairs of eyeballs on your blog just like that! If someone doesn’t want to do it don’t worry about it. Again, there are 440 million blogs out there, someone is going to let you ramble for a bit on theirs.
Another way to increase your viewership is Search Engine Optimization (SEO for short). Almost all web traffic is filtered through search engines like Google and Yahoo. SEO means that you reconfigure your website to be more visible when people look for things on a search engine. Check out this article for more information on how it works.
Email lists, contests, and shameless self-promotion at every and all public events are also effective ways of marketing your blog
Be Honest
I don’t think I need to spend much time on this topic but for those who don’t know: if you are writing about something because you think other people might like it, and not because you yourself believe in it, then you need to stop. Seriously. People can tell when someone is being genuine or feigning interest to get followers. It may seem appealing to have a weekly soccer blog because you know it’s the most popular sport in the world, but if in reality, if you’ve never even kicked a ball let alone watched a full 90 minutes, it probably isn’t going to work out. You should write about polka, or the migration patterns of water buffalo, or whatever it is you are into.
Your Web Hosting Platform is Insufficient
Ok, so say you are promoting like it’s nobody’s business, and you are creating content that you really truly believe in, but the blog just isn’t panning out. Before you pack it in and curse the internet gods for all your bad luck, you might want to check you web hosting platform. It could be that the traffic you are getting might outstrip the capabilities of the servers that your website is running off. Many bloggers who start experiencing higher volumes of traffic switch to managed WordPress hosting, dedicated servers, or virtual private servers (VPS). Matching the capabilities of your web hosting platform to your blogging needs will ensure that every visitor to your site is focused on the content and experience they are having, not how long it takes for each web page to load.
Wrap Up
Not every blog is going to be a success. Still, you can maximize your chances by increasing the amount you promote your blog, sticking to what you know, and making sure your website is always running in tip top shape. Get writing.