Tips For Budding Bloggers
I love blogging, I feel like this is pretty obvious if you've been reading my blog for long enough; I write blogs weeks ahead and take great care in every single one. As I kid I was obsessive about having my own website but could never quite decide on what I wanted the theme to be... news articles, recipes or book reviews?
Looking back the blogs were ridiculously cringe and very poorly written. Fingers crossed this incarnation of my writing is better!
But long story short writing has always been a great release for me, I've always enjoyed the idea of being able to look back on my writing fondly and remember the golden years. Now I'm paid to write content for a variety of brands the creative juices dry up a little when you're just writing about sauce companies. I think sometimes in a world so fast-paced we forget to take a minute and reflect on everything we've done so far. Life is a one person race so you have time to sit down and think. I'll be honest; this blog has been an absolute lifeline for me when it comes to relaxing after a day of staring at social media and press releases.
Even though this website is fairly new my experience with the online world is not. I know my stuff when it comes to social media and digital marketing so why not impart some wisdom on you all? Here are my best tips and tricks for a budding blogger!
Don't do SEO straight away
SEO (or search engine optimisation) is the algorithm that Google uses to decide how websites will rank in searches. The main aim is to provide the user with the most useful and accurate information. Back in the day this used to mean specialists would stuff their websites with commonly searched keywords without any attempt to make worthwhile content. Now Google's algorithm is a lot stricter, favouring an appropriate keyword/ content balance, backlinks and multimedia use are also vital for a good ranking.
Although SEO is a bit of a buzzword in the digital marketing community. There is absolutely no need to attempt it until you know how it works, in fact I'd actively discourage writing with an SEO mindset until you feel comfortable doing so. Google punishes users who 'keyword stuff' text in the hopes of a higher ranking, so don't make your website suffer because you don't know your stuff.
Get social media
It can sometimes feel weird setting up a social media account that's not your personal one. But I think setting up a social media account for your blog can be quite liberating, you no longer have to worry about what your friends and family will think when you post a picture. It's almost a bit of a social media security blanket and allows you to let your creativity flourish.
Social media is also an excellent source of website traffic for your blog, Pinterest is perfect for organic traffic and works with minimal effort when you know how to make a good pin picture.
Facebook and Google provide free online courses which can help you understand the tools at your disposal. If you're a virtual assistant or looking to get into digital marketing then it's always handy to have the official qualification: it could open few doors for you in the future too.
Get Google analytics straight away
It's easy to use and you'd be stupid not to get Google analytics the moment you set up your blog. Analytics help you understand the audience you've attracted and pander to their needs and requirments. You can monitor absolutely everything through analytics; including how your audience have found your site and how long they stay on it. Although the idea of analytics sounds big and scary... you need to trust me and just download it.
Scheduling tools are a lifesaver
As an extension of Google Analytics, scheduling tools like buffer or sprout are absolute lifesavers. You don't need to wait for the perfect time to post your blog or promote your social media posts. A lot of these tools are free and let you easily upload everything at the exact same time and you don't even need to be near your laptop.
After combing through your Google analytics and social media analytics you can pin point the perfect time to upload your blog/posts.
Do what you love!
What is the point of it all if you don't enjoy it? Obviously it's good to post content that relates to your audiences tastes but you started this for you! If it becomes a chore to reflect then what else do you have to do to chill?
I will definitely do more of these sorts of blogs moving forward. I think it's important to know these things or at least have a vague idea of digital marketing when you start a blog. Blogging is amazing, its personal and it can feel like the perfect side hobby when done right; but there is also a whole world of opportunities waiting for a blogger and a VA. Why not make the most of it