10 Things I Learned From Blogging

10 Blogging Lessons I have learned over the years. Hmmm. My goal has always been monetization (see How to Start A Blog) because I need to make an income from my work. In trying to achieve this goal, I have tried a few different approaches, some of which worked better than others.

1. Time is VERY Precious
   As with any other venture, an internet business is extremely time consuming. There is so much more to do than there are hours in the day. So choosing the right things to focus on is very important to getting ahead. Time management is also essential. I have learned to make a hit list of the things that are most important for me to accomplish each day. I also give myself a time budget for each task which is one of the hardest things for me to do. Usually I find that there is no possible way for me t squeeze in all that I want to do (very disappointing). But it does help me to set more realistic short term goals.




2. While keyword research is important, it can also be paralyzing.
   I am quite practical by nature so I want a formula for success. Objectively analyzing keywords for their profit potential and then writing posts based on these words inherently makes sense to me. However, this approach can severely cripple the writing process and the flow of a blog. Sometimes I get what I call “keyword paralysis”. I spend so much time trying to find the “right” keyword, I never actually get around to writing the post. I have learned that as long as a post is on topic with the overall blog – it is better to get the content out there than getting hung up on the profitability of the post.




3. Good content is important.
   Offering your readers quality information keeps them coming back. It also compels them to share your work by retweeting, stumbling, and most importantly linking to your posts.




4. Anchored links are essential to a blogs success.
   While social media is a wonderful way to interact and build community, the holy grail is getting another webmaster to link back to your site from theirs. In post links are the best, but blogrolls are great as well. The text that is used for the link is also important. It would be far more beneficial for someone to link to my site with a descriptive phrase as the link text – something like “How to Build An Internet Business” or “Tips for Creating a Website” rather than using the name of my blog- One Mighty Woman. By using descriptive text for the link the search engines will learn what my site is about.




5. Linking out is just as important as getting inbound links.
   I often write posts that feature or mention other websites. In addition I often link to specific posts on those other websites. By doing this, I am helping my readers find helpful information that is “out there”. Also I am helping other bloggers increase the strength of their websites. What goes around comes around, and by using this strategy consistently, I have built some strong contacts of other webmasters that will help me out in kind.




6. Commenting is old fashioned, but it still works.
   Finding the time to comment on another bloggers site is hard to do. We are all strapped for time. But leaving comments helps to support other sites, increases my site’s visibility, and there is a questionable benefit in terms of the link (usually a commenter can include the URL of their site in the comment form). My logic is that if I take the time to read a post, I might as well take an extra minute to leave a comment.




7. Social Media is a Black Hole.
   Social media sites like facebook and Twitter and a wonderful way to build community and increase your site’s visibility. But the downside is that it is easy to lose many hours tweeting and surfing around. I have learned to allocate some time to exploring social media and to stick to my self imposed time budget.




8. Write from the heart.
   A blogger is a writer – and my words portray my inner personality. I can’t pretend to be something that I am not – even with the anonymous nature of the web. If people that know me read my sites – they will see that I am the same in person as I am on the internet.




9. Treat a blog like a business.
   Since blogging is my internet business – I have learned to treat it as such. All of the steps for creating an offline business apply online as well. Marketing, growth, goals, and strategy need to be identified and implemented.




10. Family time is important too.
    Separating blogging time and family time is difficult. Since my office is in my home all things business and personal tend to become enmeshed. Clearly defining the end of my business day is probably the most important lesson of all.

Lessons from other bloggers:

• Better In Bulk writes: What has Blogging Taught You?
• Stephanie writes about what she has learned through blogging.
• Julie writes about her experiences as a blogger as well.

Return from this page about Blogging Lessons to the Internet Business homepage.

Related posts:

1. 5 Blogging Things I Would Do Differently