The very first day that you decide to be a blogger is probably one of the biggest, Internet based, decisions that you will make, not only will you be spending a lot of your time producing content that will be seen all around the world, but you will also start to become on the many that have decided to take the leap in to the world of blogging.
But remember there are several stages of blogging and though, not all of us will hit the very heights of the last stage, we will now doubt be on our way there, so I suppose you’re now thinking what are those stages, well, to be honest they are something that you do every time you even contemplate the blogging world.
Stage 1: Decision Time
This is that very first point that you may have been reading a blog and thought to yourself “Hey, I could do that”. Then you start to look into the many blogging platforms, most of the time a newbie blogger will start with a free hosted blog, but over time most, like myself, will move on to purchasing a domain and hosting to provide a more professional looking blog with a custom domain.
Stage 2: Writing your blog
Sounds simple doesn’t it! Well it’s not that easy, OK, when you’re fresh into blogging you can probably come up with a post everyday and sometimes two posts a day, but, as time goes by you may start to get the dreaded BloggersBlock, a point where a blogger burns themselves out by posting too much in the early days of their blog, so when you first start take it easy, don’t over blog and if you do spread your posts over a few days, just in case you get BloggersBlock.
Stage 3: Promoting your blog
Again, it may sound easy and sometimes it is, but if no one knows about your blog then now one will stop by to read it and after all, isn’t that the reason you are blogging in the first place?
Building your blogs reputation can take time, so don’t expect it to start bring you stardom straight away, submit your blog posts to as many RSS feeds as you can, join social networks and post your latest articles on to those.
Comment on other blogs, but comment with well written comments about the article, don’t just say things like “nice blog” or “great read” be constructive, this will bring readers to you and importantly backlinks.
Stage 4: Make Friends
What’s this got to do with blogging? Well, by making friends in the blogger community, you not only have people you can ask if you need advice, but you also friends are the ones that will often visit your blog and ReTweet your posts, comment and be there when you need them. Don’t try to do all this blogging on your own, having friends in any situation is a must.
Personally from my point of view, I wouldn’t have made it with my blogging if I hadn’t had the advice and help from those in the know in the blogosphere.
Stage 5: Earning with your blog
One of the questions I’ve been asked many a time is “How do I earn money from my blog?” It is easy to do, but, and it’s a big but, don’t try to start earning from your blog straight away, specially if you are on a free blog. Wait for a while until your blog has become popular, after all an advertiser doesn’t really want to advertise on a blog that only has a few hits coming in.
I waited until my blog was around 6-8 months old when I started getting more traffic, I then applied to Google Adsense for ads and started with those, they won’t make you millionaire, but it will pay for your hosting.
Later as your blog gets even more popular you can start selling advertising space, which after two years I have recently started doing myself and it does work.
Stage 6: Fame and fortune
Now this is probably the stage where a lot of us won’t reach, this is the point where your blog has become so famous that you have books written about you, newspaper articles, your blogs name is on everyone’s lips, you’ve even written a book in the form of a biography on your blogging experience.
This stage is probably one that most, if not all, bloggers are hoping to get, but it’s one of those goals that takes so much time and determination that with out the benefit of producing a blog that is so powerful in it’s right, that it’s just not going to happen.
But there are those of us who are quite happy with just falling short of this stage, after all, blogging and all it’s stages is purely just for fun … Or is it?
Twitter: andrewrondeau
says:
Karen
It would be very interesting to see what sort of percentages of blogs are in the different stages.
1% fame and fortune
15% Earning
20% making friends
20% Promoting
34% Writing
10% deciding
Just off the top of my head – what do you think?
Andrew
Andrew Rondeau´s recent blog post ..Blog Statistics: Pro Blog Stats WordPress Plugin
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
I think you’re probably about right on those percentages Andrew
BlazingMinds´s recent blog post ..HOW TO: Find Out Who Has Added You To Their Twitter List
Do you reckon it’s as many as 15% of bloggers earning? There’s hundreds of millions of posts coming out on the wordpress.com platform daily, millions of blogs there — I’d say the proportion of those earning comes in at closer to 5%, with fame and fortune at 0.1%.
I’m interested. But I think there’s a lot of people out there slogging away with not so much as a comment or two to their name…
Theodora´s recent blog post ..The LastSoldier
Twitter: andrewrondeau
says:
Theodora
They were just my gut feels – no science behind it!
Andrew
Andrew Rondeau´s recent blog post ..Blog Statistics- Pro Blog Stats WordPress Plugin
Twitter: timmyjohnboy
says:
Earning CAN be somewhat relative. One can use a blog for many gains, such as brand awareness, search engine ranking for the main site, authority building and so on. Personally, I’ve gotten past the stage telling me that the only good that can come from my blog is a few ad dollars. My blog has already helped me land recognition for my talents/skills and even a job or two while not making much $ directly.
Oh, and learning HOW to set up and blog can actually land you a few paid gigs helping others.
Just a thought.
I think it’s more like 90% deciding. Most free blogs have about 1 post (well maybe 2). In any case I think most people stop before they get to the promoting stage, even if they update regularly.
This might be because, they believe sooner or later they will be “discovered”. Maybe they don’t realise they’re other the only ones reading their blogs.
Or maybe they simply can’t be bothered putting in all the work.
adwordsmogul´s recent blog post ..New Kid on the Block – Google Adwords Call Metrics
Twitter: lavenderuses
says:
Hi Karen
Great post. I am at the stage as a fairly newbie blogger that I will be doing product reviews on the products I have sourced for my niche. Will have a shopfront for my products, but will also be selling off line. Initially was only going to sell on–line but have had to be flexible.
Making some great blogging friends and interacting with them as I visit their blogs and they stop by to comment on mine has not only increased traffic to my site; it has also got my blog more well known. Thanks for sharing.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia´s recent blog post ..Lavender Products:cheap but not so cheerful
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
Thanks Patricia, commenting is a major source of getting blog traffic and as you say a way of getting your blog more well known
BlazingMinds´s recent blog post ..5 Ways to Step Up Your Marketing With Social Networks
Twitter: 3HatsComm
says:
I think these apply to all blogs, professional and personal, except the fame and fortune
come from client contacts rather than paid ads. The biggest thing for me is stepping outside your own blog to read, link back, comment and share other blogs. It makes friends, builds community and it also makes for richer, more helpful content on your own blog. FWIW.
Davina K. Brewer´s recent blog post ..An EIEIO for Social Media
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
I think since my blog has took off, I’ve spent so much time reading other blogs that sometimes that’s where all my time goes to, but without these I think my blogging friendships would be minuscule.
BlazingMinds´s recent blog post ..Are You Sure You Want To Be A Blogger
Interesting post!
I guess it follows the old saying: Do what you love and money will follow!
A true blogger does it for free though, right? One gets much just for looking around and reading about others’ experiences and histories. I guess thats the next best thing to doing things yourself…
peace and love world!
Nuno Moreiras´s recent blog post ..Day 2. Roncesvalles. Those four long kilometers.
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
Thank you, I think a lot of bloggers are moving away from some of the free blogging platforms such as Blogger and paying that little bit from their earnings to have a custom domains, it certainly helps with the blogs SEO
BlazingMinds´s recent blog post ..3D TV Is It As Good As They Say It Is
Twitter: Ileane
says:
Hey Karen, congrats on your first guest post here and you’re doing a marvelous job as per usual. I like the part about fame and fortune. The way I look at it I’m one of Hesham’s “FamousBloggers” therefore I’m very fortunate
Ileane Smith´s recent blog post ..CommentLuv Ambassador Contest on Basic Blog Tips
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
Thank Ileane, I’ve had this post whizzing around my head for a while and thought it would be perfect for ComLuv
BlazingMinds´s recent blog post ..Is This Really A Time Traveler Caught On Film
Twitter: CoachNotesBlog
says:
Hi BlazingMinds – The first 6-8 months, I spent most of my time writing and fiddling with design and interactive elements on my blogs. Now — while a lot of time still goes into deciding, researching, and actual writing — I tend to spend a larger share of time on making friends, social media, and promotions. At any given time, we’ll probably find a large share of bloggers navigating several of the stages at the same time. Thanks for giving us some food for thought.
Vernessa Taylor´s recent blog post ..A NonReview of WishList Membership Site Plugin for WordPress
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
I think the first few stages are probably the most important, after all if your blog doesn’t look right or feel right then it won’t to the readers of the blog either
BlazingMinds´s recent blog post ..5 Ways to Step Up Your Marketing With Social Networks
Twitter: MrsMoodyGermany
says:
Hey Karen,
That’s very basic but very essential steps for us, bloggers if we want to start a blog and having it growing.
I have read in survey, most of us blogs because of the pleasure, hobby.
Second place is making money, or earning.
I guess i am in the middle, although my first goal of blogging was my hobby (look at the domain name i have LOL).
If i would be more “professional” i would have domain name with my keywords in it.
However since i knew i can earn with a blog, my goal is earning now.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts in the post!
Kimi´s recent blog post ..How Much Does WordPress Cost
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
I have to admit I have a bit of both going on, while my blog is earning, not enough for the Ferrari yet though LOL, I really blog just for the sheer enjoyment, it’s a way of relaxing while doing something I’m enjoying.
BlazingMinds´s recent blog post ..Is This Really A Time Traveler Caught On Film
Twitter: dragonblogger
says:
I find myself the decision stage keeps coming back to haunt me, I constantly have new idea’s and directions I want to go and have to decide one way or another. Writing and promoting are essential, I think once your blog starts earning enough that you gain a benefit from purchasing advertising, this is where you start reaching new levels. From my own experience with other bloggers and scouring hundreds of sites, it seems that selling products (affiliate marketing or your own created products) are the only way to really reach income levels where you can blog full time.
When blogging the passion and love of blogging should be primary, don’t think about the money there are much easier businesses to make money in than blogging.
Justin Germino´s recent blog post ..The Witcher- A Positively Bewitching Game
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
Thanks for commenting Justin, the earning from my blog covers my hosting, so for me that’s perfect, but as you say with regards to the passion of blogging, I think that’s my side of it, I just love to blog
Karen´s recent blog post ..Is This Really A Time Traveler Caught On Film
I think because of what the big internet marketers are promoting, a lot of people come in to blogging without mastering Stage 1 & Stage 2 well and then jump on to Stage 5 before they can get to Stage 5 only to be disappointed that its not as easy as it sounds before dropping out and saying goodbye to blogging.
Thx for sharing your thoughts!
bryanps´s recent blog post ..The Newbie Blogger Checklist and Guide- 21 Things You Need To KNOW
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
Very true, those that do skip the first few stages will have a mis-belief that blogging is not worth the time and effort, if they had gone from the very first stage in the first place then their blogs would be successful
Karen´s recent blog post ..3D TV Is It As Good As They Say It Is
The “one step at a time” rule should come into place in all areas of building a business or entity online. It takes time, patience, and consistency. I found that out the hard way like most internet marketers. So many are so interested in instant gratification that they miss the true opportunity for success. Thanks for sharing.
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
I think it’s the case of everything really, rushing into something just destroys any hope of building a reputation and a “one step at a time” rule is certainly the right way to do things.
Karen´s recent blog post ..HOW TO- Use Your WordPress Stats To Help Your Blogging
Interesting topic Karen.
1-It took my 3 months to decide on buying my won domain.
2-Took me no time t get a few posts up and and running, but now its taking me longer and longer to come up with new posts (though part of it is because I work offline for 15/16 hours a day)
3- I promote the heck out of my blog for the first few months and thats how I got it to rank well for some of the most competitive keywords in my niche. Now though I promote less but I keep a very steady pace.
4- I just started making friends in the blogging world. And I think gust posting helps a lot, as it gets you to interact with other people on more successful blogs thus building a relationship.
5- I started earning with my blog early on, though very little. But thankfully it gradually is increasing. Plus I keep learning new ways to earn with my blog.
6- Not famous yet! To be honest I think 99.9% of us will never reach that point. Of course that depends on your interpretation of being famous and what you would consider a famous blogger.
satrap´s recent blog post ..A Successful Blog Isn’t Beyond Your Reach!
Sorry for the misspeling mistakes (I need to learn to proofread 3 times before hitting submit).
on #1, I meant my OWN domain not my WON domain!
satrap´s recent blog post ..RSS Submission- More backlinks- Higher Rank and More Traffic
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
No worries, I usually do things like that myself
Karen´s recent blog post ..Saturday Six – Twitter Annoyances
Twitter: tonymcgurk
says:
I have been blogging for some time now & found your advice very helpful. I have just started to use Twitter & Facebook to promote my posts so hopefully in time that will help increase my visitors.
Tony´s recent blog post ..Wordless Wednesday – Elephant
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
Hi Tony, glad to be of some help to you. Promoting your blog with Twitter will also depend on your followers, try to follow those that have similar interests to yourself and your blog, that way the promotion does work better
Karen´s recent blog post ..Hello Reader- Who Are You
Twitter: alisonjgolden
says:
I’m in the writing stage. Have 99 posts in about 6 months. I have just done a blog every day for 30 days challenge. Readership increased by 130%. I’ve dropped to 5x a week – I have a lot to say – and am working on promotion, friends and earning.
alisongolden´s recent blog post ..Taking Candy From A Baby…
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
I’ve always noticed that a constant posted blog will gain a lot more readers than one that say posts once a week, if your readers are interested in what you are saying then keep posting
Karen´s recent blog post ..How To Write a Twitter Bio That Gains You More Followers
Twitter: raphnexx
says:
i know there are many people out there just want to have number 5 but blogging is all about passion,and the monetary reward is just a plus.That’s why if you are thinking blogging is about money,it is not because it’s all about showing your talent or art.
Raphnexx the SEO Service Provider on Development Catalyst´s recent blog post ..China is taking over the World Wide Web
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
Very true, but there are those out there that, sadly, believe that blogging is only about the money, these are usually the blogs only last for a short period before folding
Karen´s recent blog post ..HOW TO- Make An Automated Twitter List With FormULists
Yes, patience seems to be the key. It takes time to build something that will be successful long-term.
Joseph Condron´s recent blog post ..Love-Hate TV Review- Cutting-Edge Irish Drama That Shows The True Side Of Crime
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
I think so many people are cutting corners just to make a quick buck or two, shame really!
Karen´s recent blog post ..Is This Really A Time Traveler Caught On Film
One thing I have noticed when people get to the earning stage is that their blogs change. No longer are they the content I enjoyed when I found their blog but they have turned into a review and giveaway/contest blog. It is sad when this happens. This makes me less excited to follow the blog.
Linda´s recent blog post ..Is what you write free for the taking
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
I know what you mean, I used to visit a site and it was always funny to read and then as it grew in popularity and probably earning more, it moved to the side of posts about nothing but the same subject that it could cash in on!
Karen´s recent blog post ..Saturday Six – Favourite Movie Soundtracks
Twitter: rwperkinsjr
says:
I think an important part is to proof-read or have someone proof-read your posts or both. I find that in the excitement of trying to get out what i want to say I tend to get a few spelling, grammatical and content errors. Typos happen you know.
My posts are not even close to perfect and I know that but I try to provide the clearest content I can. I will write a post, preview it and read it word for word, make sure it flows well then work on it some more and read it again. If I find that I have a lot of errors or that I am tired and if I am not able to do a quality proof-read I will have my mate, Mom, Dad, friend or co-worker look it over for me too.
When I am reading through a post and I see simple errors like saying, “it was theres” instead of, “it was theirs”, I tend to go find a blog where the owner cares about quality. Typos do happen but simple errors show that the blogger is only out for one thing and that is quick content for a quick buck. I was a victim of quick content until recently.
Even great bloggers can make simple mistakes. Take Karen here… She is a great blogger, she puts her heart and soul into her posts, but I was even able to find one of those credibility robbing mistakes in this very post. Can you find it?
No offense Karen I am not picking on you I am just demonstrating how a simple overlooked mistake can kill the credibility of a blog. I make these mistakes all of the time and I am sure there are plenty of these same examples littering my own blog.
Just in case you couldn’t find it and so you know I am not blowing smoke look at the second paragraph of this post. If Karen has not changed it by now it says, “…we will now doubt be on our way there,…” of course “now” should be “no” but this is an example of how easy it is to overlook something simple and have it be possibly disastrous.
Quality over content in my opinion. They say content is king but if it is not quality content then you are not going to get return visits. I have recently changed my blog and moved from the low quality PLR/Paid-To-Post type of posts to personal posts to provide better quality and information to my readers and to try to establish a quality base. I skipped a couple steps you have above and realized it recently so it is time to go back and fix it.
I skipped stages 2 and 4 to get to stage 5. By changing my approach and adding in stage 3 I hope to get to stage 6 but if I don’t make it to stage 5 or 6 I love it anyway. I personally liked the setting up of the blog and getting the plug-ins and functionality working more than I do writing it but it is fun all the same.
This was a great post Karen, thank you for being my unwilling example, I appreciate it.
Richard´s recent blog post ..Maybe You Can Help – Spray Nozzle
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
I noticed that after the post went live, whoops, what can I say it was a complete momentary lapse of concentration
Karen´s recent blog post ..Five Pound Jobs- Fiverr But For The UK!
Are you aware that a lot of people can’t even reach your standards because English is not their mother’s tongue? Just a thought.
I don’t think that credibility gets lost when you make a few spelling mistakes. Well, maybe if you’ve got a spelling blog.
Alice Hive´s recent blog post ..So- who is this blogger and how is she qualified to talk about personal development
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
Thanks Alice and nicely said
Karen´s recent blog post ..A Google PageRank Update For Blazing Minds
With my biggest blog I made it till stage 5, although what I’m earning is “only” about 170$ per month. A few days ago I started a new Englisch-speaking blog and I hope to top my former achievements big time.
Alice Hive´s recent blog post ..So- who is this blogger and how is she qualified to talk about personal development
Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
$170 per month is better than nothing and I expect that that will cover your hosting costs for your blog
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Very nice post. When you are promoting your blog social media tools can really help increase the traffic to your site, it all about having good content on your site.
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