61 things I wish had known before I started blogging

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Thinking of starting a blog? Don’t do anything until you have read this! Experienced bloggers share 61 things they wish they had known before they started blogging…

Are you thinking of starting a blog? Want to make sure your blog starts off on the right foot? Want to make sure you avoid the most common new blogger mistakes? Then you NEED to read this post!

I asked the wonderful bloggers in the Productive Blogging Community to tell me what they wish they had known before they started blogging… and I had a huge response!

Their responses are a MUST READ if you are planning to start a new blog, but they are also well worth reading if you already have a blog and you wish it was doing better – there are so many brilliant tips and lessons here.

(In a hurry? Scroll down to the bottom, where I’ve summarised the main takeaways!)

Here are 61 things experienced bloggers wish they had known before they started blogging…

1. Niche down

“I wish I’d known about niching down, instead of trying to do every idea that we had! Niching has given us a focus and allowed us (amongst many other things!) to start growing.”
Jessica Saunders, veganpunks.com

“I wish I had known how important it is to choose a niche. I wrote random content trying to please and capture an audience from all different angles.”
Ann Humphreys, rackupmoments.com

2. Set up Yoast properly

“I wish someone had told me how to properly set up Yoast and how easy it is to unintentionally tell Google to no index your entire site. My traffic is still in recovery from that mistake!”
Amy Angelli, thecoppertable.com

3. WordPress.com vs WordPress.org

“I wish I would have known the difference between WordPress dot com and WordPress dot org. The first one is great to start and publish your first articles online. But gradually you improve and want more flexibility, possibilities to customize and additional functionalities. And the longer you wait the more complex retrofitting and migrating becomes. But I did it anyway. Now I am happy I took all my faith together for the migration.”
Toon De Backer, surprising.recipes

“I wish I knew to start a food blog on WordPress.org! I was on Wix. Then when I went to make the WordPress switch, I went to .com on accident. Oy! Wish I would have just started on .org and saved all that hassle!”
Amanda Wilens, amandawilens.com

4. Start with self-hosted WordPress

“The thing that I wish I had known before I started blogging is that the best platform to make your blog is on WordPress. I was enthusiastic and started my blog on Wix, because it was really easy to build a blog and cheap. But it is not so good for your SEO. WordPress sounded overwhelming at that time. I rarely had any visitors. I now have a WordPress website and it is sooo much better. More plugins and so many more visitors.”
Fleur Vrakking, fleurfoodie.com

“I wish I had known to start with self-hosted WordPress. I started on Blogger, then forwarded to WordPress (.com) then eventually forwarded again to having it self-hosted.”
Cyprianne Nolan, prettydarnadorable.com

5. Go with a good host

“I wish I knew from the start that a solid host for your blog is the equivalent of a solid roof over your head. Don’t be cheap when it comes to hosting, because a bad host will give you headache, plenty of downtime, and you could eventually get hacked too.”
Andrea Soranidis, thepetitecook.com

6. Pick a good domain name

“I wish I’d understood not to put hyphens in my blog URL. I don’t want to take the hit to change it now but it’s the most annoying thing to type and when text to speech software reads it out!”
Sarah Brooks, keep-calm-and-eat-ice-cream.com

“I wish I would have known about picking the right domain name. Always look up for the WHOis record and see if it is not a spam one or one that has changed hands many times.”
Loshane A Vasilyeva, cabanacatalogs.com

7. Choose your blog name wisely

“I’d have spent a lot longer on coming up with a proper name for my blog. I’m sure a lot of people are put off by the name – Foodle Club sounds like a club you would join rather than a recipe website.”
Veronica Jerling, foodleclub.com

READ MORE >>> How to choose the perfect blog name

8. Don’t try to follow everyone’s advice

“I wish I had known to not follow every single new person’s advice and had just stuck to one that made sense and kept going. It’s always good to seek out better ways to do something, but there are so many voices in the blogging and online business world that it’s way too easy to stop and start so many times that you literally make no forward progress.”
Kathy Fluch, phasetwofitness.com

9. Invest in your blog

“There are so many mistakes I made when I first started blogging. But the ones that stand out the most are: I focused on social media first instead of SEO—a big mistake. And I didn’t invest from the start in the right SEO courses and other blogging and website sources that help you grow faster! Trust me, investing in your blog from the beginning is so worth it.”
Mariska Ramondino, mychefsapron.com

10. Treat it like a business

“I wish I’d known that it was a viable business. I probably would have approached it differently.”
Cynthia McCloud Woodman, whatagirleats.com

“I wish I had known to treat my blog like a business instead of a hobby. While blogging is one of my favorite things to do, treating it like a business has made the biggest difference. I am constantly working on my blog, publishing new posts and updating old posts. The best piece of advice I could give new bloggers is to find a niche you’re passionate about and work hard at it! Blogging is incredibly fulfilling!”
Addie LaBonte, organicallyaddison.com

Woman writing on a notepad and tapping on a calculator

11. Don’t write about everything

“I wish I’d known better than to try and write about everything. Especially when it comes to travel blogging, being all over the place does NOT help!”
Cristina Gatachiu, honesttravelstories.com

12. Focus on content over design

“I wish I had not spent so much time tweaking the appearance of my blog. While appearances are important, I’m realizing now that the time would have been better spent writing quality content and working to drive traffic to my site.”
Karen Tero, theproficienthomemaker.com

WATCH >>> How to start a successful blog

13. The benefits of Gutenberg

“I wish I had known how to use Gutenberg from the start. It’s truly a time saver with lots of options to save blocks, customize blocks and make your post stand out.”
Sushma Balasubramanian, spicesnflavors.com

14. Invest in recipe cards from the start (for a food blog)

“I wish I’d spent the money on using recipe cards… from the start. I am so sick of updating the back-catalogue of hundreds of recipes (most of which need better photos), that there have been days when I’ve considered jacking the whole thing in!”
Kate Dowse, glutenfreealchemist.com

15. Learn SEO

“I wish I’d heard of SEO. I was so naive, I just assumed you published a “chocolate cake” post and it would sort of go in date order on Google. Even though I’ve known about the importance of SEO for quite some time now, I’m still trying to sort out the mess that was once my prized blog.”
Choclette Ammar, tinandthyme.uk

“I wish I knew about SEO when I started my blog 6 years ago. Now I am having to go back through hundreds of posts and update them for SEO including doing keyword research, writing more than 100-200 words, updating the titles, and adding a meta description.”
Karalee Shotola, talesofbelle.com

16. The #1 result in Google isn’t always the best

“When I first started blogging I was shocked and disappointed when I realized that the top results on google aren’t actually “the best” recipes. And even by searching “the best x recipe” still doesn’t necessarily give you a recipe that is exceptionally better than the ones on page 4. On page SEO and keyword research are so important for ranking in SERP. Just because you truly have a great well tested recipe, doesn’t mean anyone will see it.”
Lauren LeBlanc, laurenfromscratch.com

17. Target phrases people actually search for

“I wish I would’ve understood search engine optimization as it relates to keywords and straightforward language. When I started my blog, I used very creative language for titles and keywords that were smart and witty…but not terminology that readers actually searched for. Oh how hindsight is twenty twenty!”
Jennifer Pierce Freedman, plantpoweredlivin.com

18. Write what other people want to read (not what you want to write!)

“Blog on what people want to read and not what you want to write. It doesn’t matter how good your article and photographs are but if no one is searching for it, no one will find it.”
Shilpa Kerur, easyindiancookbook.com

19. The importance of keyword research

“For almost a year I had no idea about keyword research. Wish I had known that.”
Alpa Jain, culinaryshades.com

“I didn’t do keyword research. I wrote 50 posts without any research… A few ranked maybe because of the unique and helpful content… I sold that blog and started a new one with pretty good keyword research, and now its 10 months and so many articles are already ranking on the first page.”
Farwa Shoaib, familyandhomelife.com

“I wish that I would have known more about SEO especially when it comes to selecting your keyword. I hadn’t realized the importance of using keyword research and writing your posts around the keyword which is so much easier to write that way.”
Scott Charleboix, pinartwork.com

“When I first started blogging, I had no idea about keyword research. As a result, my blog posts were often buried under a sea of other content that was more relevant and better optimized for search engines. I didn’t realize that if you target specific keywords, you could make your content more visible and gain traffic! So now, I have spent so much time going back and reoptimizing my posts with keywords.”
Jeri Bill Walker, windingcreekranch.org

20. Optimize your posts for your target keywords

“I wish I had known how to find and incorporate keywords in my titles, URLs, and meta descriptions. Once I learned how to do that, I started getting organic traffic to posts that were YEARS old.”
Miranda Hernandez, adrianjameshernandez.com

READ MORE >>> How to optimize a blog post

21. Write for your audience

“I wish I’d known that the blog isn’t for me, it’s for my audience. Let’s break that down shall we. Obviously, I develop, create and write be because it’s my love and passion. But, if I knew I needed to focus on a target audience, answer their questions and help them with my niche I’d be laughing now!”
Rebecca Smith, glutarama.com

“When I began blogging, I thought it was all about me. But in actuality, a successful blog is about writing for your audience. I did a marketing degree but still didn’t put two and two together for far too long. I wrote short articles that I felt like writing, regardless of what my audience actually needed to know.

Once I started writing for my audience, I saw massive success. People didn’t want to read about an experience I had because I had it. They want to know about what they should do in the destination or how they could have an awesome experience. So, for example, not writing about a taxi mishap and instead writing about how to get around in X location.”
Nina Clapperton, sheknowsseo.co

“I wish I understood sooner that we blog for our readers and need to solve a problem for them. Adapting to what our audience needs (within reasonable bounds) is crucial to grow and let’s me stay focused on relevant content.”
Paula Montenegro, vintagekitchennotes.com

22. People don’t care about YOU!

“I wish I would have known that most people don’t care about my “stories”, they mostly search for things they need.”
Cristina Gatachiu, honesttravelstories.com

“It’s so funny to think back on how naive I was when I first started blogging. I actually cringe as I write this!! I wish I would have known two things 1) SEO and keyword research, and 2) No one cares about ME! LOL!

When I first started blogging, I would write posts titled “My FAVORITE Apple Cobbler Recipe EVER!” Zero keyword research, nothing was optimized! I never even thought about how people would find the post, I just thought I’d post it on social and people would flock! BAHAHAHA!

Also, as harsh as it sounds, when you first start blogging (at least in my space as a food blogger), no one cares about YOU and how the food makes YOU feel or exactly how YOU came up with the recipe. They don’t want to hear you drone on and on about your day, either! They want a good recipe and they want it NOW.

That’s it. It was an A-HA moment when I took ME out of the equation and thought solely about how I could benefit the reader!”
Casey Shanks Rooney, getonmyplate.com

23. Write longer blog posts

“I wish I’d known word count matters; I remember my posts were only around 100 words plus a recipe card. Well, I was wrong—no wonder my blog was suffering for a while.”
Tu Nguyen, cookmorphosis.com

24. Blog post writing is different from other writing styles

“I wish I would have understood more about the style and format of blog content. It’s very different from other writing styles.

It’s focused: I was more about breadth than depth—I tried to do too much in one post rather than focusing on a single keyword or phrase.

It’s scannable: I thought readers would actually read everything from beginning to end, so I didn’t use headings effectively or often enough for readers to scan the post.

It’s digestible: I didn’t recognize the importance of short sentences and short paragraphs for the benefit of readers (especially on mobile) and for ad income later on.”
Kristie Radcliff Sigler, salteffect.com

25. Write lots of high-quality posts

“I wish I had known that a blog is like a digital asset. You can’t put 5 posts on there and expect traffic and income. Similar to a how your need bricks for a rental property, you need to BUILD your blog first by putting lots of quality SEO optimised content on it before you can expect traffic. I try and aim for 100 posts before I start worrying”
Aisha Preece, outandbeyond.com

26. SEO is so much better than social media for long-term, sustainable growth

“When I first started blogging, I focused on making content that would go viral on Instagram. Or what I thought would go viral (never did!).

I wish I knew that focusing on SEO and keyword research would be more beneficial for my growth long term and is much more sustainable than social media accounts. I wish I had realized that social media isn’t the only way to grow a successful blog.”
Olivia King, livveganstrong.com

“I wish I knew about SEO earlier instead of putting all my focus on social media. I feel that I have wasted a lot of time and potential growth over the past year. A refocus onto keyword research, good quality content and writing posts for my audience has given me the confidence to continue on my blogging journey and continue to grow.”
wholeheartykitchen.co.uk

READ MORE >>> A beginner’s guide to SEO for bloggers
READ MORE >>> 17 SEO mistakes to avoid

27. The importance of internal linking

“I wish I had known the importance of internal links. Back in the day, I thought in order to keep readers on one post, I should never distract them with any extra pieces of information.”
Tu Nguyen, cookmorphosis.com

28. Use tags and categories wisely

“I wish I had known how to properly tag and categorize my blog to ensure users can easily navigate and stay longer on the website.”
Lawal Ameenah Bolanle, boomence.com

29. The benefits of a site audit

“I wish I had known how important it would be to have an SEO expert do an audit of my website. I balked at the expense for years, trusting others who said an audit wasn’t necessary.

When my blog began losing traffic no matter what I did, I started to wonder if there was something technically wrong on the back end. I had my audit in 2020 and, sure enough, there were technical issues that were holding me back. My site grew nicely in 2021, and I’m continuing to implement the items listed in my SEO audit.”
Andrea Castrovillari, cookingwithmammac.com

READ MORE >>> FREE DIY SEO AUDIT

30. Photos are an SEO opportunity

“I wish I would have known that photos are an SEO opportunity that can and should be optimized for it. I have so many images that are just the camera file name on my site and it feels like a missed opportunity when people search using images! I am going back and updating them slowly but it would have been better to just do it from the start!”
Janessa Heck, thenessykitchen.com

Me (Eb Gargano) photographing food on a table

31. Photos really matter

“The photos really matter for food bloggers to entice people to click through to your post. I’m learning to get more light on the subject, improve food styling and composition, and edit photos.”
Melissa Altman-Traub, melissatraub.com

32. Find your own style

“I wish I had created a recognizable ‘style’ of food photography much earlier on for my blog. I was trying to emulate other creators I loved, but their style didn’t ‘fit’ with who I was or my food perspective!

Be you! Finding your photographic POV, with high quality and well styled photographs, helps you gain readers, followers on social media, and brand recognition.

Research photography tips, attend workshops and courses, or Google free resources to up your food photography game. It makes all the difference to have beautiful photos, styled and shot in your own unique artistic style!”
Jessie-Sierra Ross, straighttothehipsbaby.com

33. Stay on brand

“I wish I’d known that I should treat my blog posts as the product of my business. Every single one should reflect my brand and website.”
Alyssa Malacad, alyssagermaine.com

34. Use correct alt tags

“I wish I’d known that the alt area was for a description of the photo, utilised by screen reading tools for visually impaired readers, and not for a list of descriptive words!”
Camilla Hawkins, fabfood4all.co.uk

35. The importance of site speed

“I wish I had understood the importance of site speed for SEO. My early blog posts were full of huge, unoptimized images and I stayed with a terrible host for years. Once I figured those things out, posts started to rank and my traffic grew exponentially!”
Ann Otis, ourhappymess.com

36. Post in roundup groups

“I wish that I had known about the positive impact that posting to roundup groups could have on my backlink profile.”
Sandra Flegg, shesnotcookin.com

37. Collect email addresses from the start

“I wish I’d started collecting email addresses from the start! I didn’t have an email database for the first 4 years because I thought my readers would be annoyed at reading the same content that was already published on the blog and setting it up was ‘too hard basket’.

Now the subscribers on my database are my most loyal and engaged readers and I’m able to monetise the database by charging advertisers for sponsored EDMs.”
Joyce Watts, tothotornot.com

38. The importance of growing your email list

“I wish I’d known how important it was to build your email list. I didn’t focus on it for two years and I wish I had. Growing and cultivating your email list is vital for creating fans, getting traffic, and selling products!”
Lizzy Mads, zardyplants.com

39. Monetize your blog ASAP

“I wish I had known how to monetize my blog sooner instead of treating it like a hobby.”
Mary St. Dennis, lifeisjustducky.com

READ MORE >>> How much do bloggers REALLY earn?

40. Diversify your revenue streams

“I wish I’d known what other money making avenues to consider separate from my blog such as event marketing, public speaking, writing a book etc.”
Katerina Hadjiandreou, outingtherapy.com

READ MORE >>> How to future-proof your blog

Piggy bank on a desk covered in various files and a calculator

41. Don’t neglect affiliate marketing

“I wish I had known how to incorporate affiliate marketing into my content strategy. I got incredible traffic, did tons of sponsored posts, and even had a mailing list… and never truly optimized for affiliate sales.

I have since sold my blog and I now manage a digital marketing agency that specializes in affiliate management. Seeing the other side of the industry, and the true potential of affiliate marketing for bloggers – blows my mind daily. I left SO much money on the table. BUT… at least now I get to spend my days teaching bloggers how to not make the same mistake I did.”
Lynsey Jones Kmetz, apogeeagency.com

42. No-follow affiliate links

“I signed up for affiliate sales early on and didn’t know I needed to mark them as no follow links.”
Kimberly Hays Grow, roamingthepages.com

43. Outsource ASAP

“I wish I would have treated my blog like a business sooner. I was stubborn and determined to do it all myself. But blogging involves many skill sets: recipe development, writing, photography, tech knowledge, SEO research, social media, keeping up with constant changes, and more.

As soon as I started hiring out for the tasks that are the hardest for me and that I procrastinate working on, my blog quality improved, my traffic increased, and I started enjoying blogging more. The adage that you have to spend money to make money is true.”
Dana Levin Shrager, danastable.com

44. Don’t try to do everything!

“Which areas to focus my time on and which not to, instead of trying to do everything, especially as my time is limited.”
Ella Thompson, ellasbetterbakes.com

READ MORE >>> Blog Smarter Not Harder

45. Focus on your strengths

“The biggest thing I wish I would have known was to just focus on your strengths and don’t worry about trying to do it all. I tried too hard to do a little bit of everything and just not getting anywhere. Now that I’m focusing what I’m good at and mastering those few things I can finally see some growth. It also makes everything more manageable and less overwhelming.”
Kristin Weeks, dirtanddough.com

46. Be willing to adapt

“I wish I had known how fast things change and evolve in the blogging world. You have to be flexible and willing to adapt constantly. Nothing will ever be complete and every post will need updating regularly. Blogging isn’t just about putting out new content, it’s a lot of maintenance on your existing content. You’ll never stop learning and evolving!”
Tricia Bozeman, rhubarbarians.com

READ MORE >>> How to future-proof your blog

47. Don’t be put off by other people’s reactions

“I wish I knew how weird it was going to be to tell other people that I’m trying to build a food blogging business. No one really understands what that means, or they still act like it’s just a “little hobby” or thing I’m doing for fun.

It makes me feel kind of silly sometimes, like people are judging me. But that is also likely my imposter syndrome, which is a whole other topic. I’m learning to take ownership and be proud of the work I’m doing, even if no one sees how hard I’m working or understands it.”
Ashley Petrie, enwnutrition.com

48. Don’t go it alone!

“I wish I’d known sooner about the power of a good mastermind group. Blogging can be a solitary endeavor and banding together with several other professional bloggers has made such a positive impact on my blog’s growth and success.

The right mastermind group can help with shared knowledge, new ideas, accountability, cross-promotion, support, advice, encouragement, and most importantly, FRIENDSHIP!”
Eliza Cross, bensabaconlovers.com

49. Collaborate with other bloggers

“I wish I understood, from the start, how beneficial working with other bloggers would be. When I started my first blog, 12 years ago, I kept to myself and did my own thing. Once I began teaming up and swapping info. it opened up a whole new world of opportunities for everyone… It’s not a competition.”
Darcey Lafo Olson, foodieandwine.com

50. Be consistent

“I wish I had known how important consistency is. In some respects, blogging is like housework. We have to keep at it, or things get messy. I do not mean just writing one post a day or week. We need to be consistent in our message. We can pivot, but pivoting every week or month keeps us at square one.

We need to be consistent in pinning, social media, or responding to emails, with SEO and all the little things. Some things can be automated, yes, but we still need to pay attention to the little things that cannot be automated.

Time passes quickly. If we miss a day or two, the next thing we know it is a month later. Playing “catch up” has never been fun.”
Valerie Hewitt, olderstudentscanlearnnewskills.com

Me (Eb Gargano) typing on a silver laptop in a cafe

51. Be authentically you

“I wish I would have known to just be myself and stop worrying about what the other “big” bloggers are doing. I would get so caught up in what their website looked like, what recipes they made, what they did on social media, etc. and I would try to be more like that. But I came to realize that just wasn’t me and that’s not what my audience wants. They want authenticity. They just want me to be me.”
Braghan Mulvaney, whiskfulcooking.com

52. Don’t copy mega-bloggers

“I wish I knew not to follow the practices of mega bloggers and assume that’s the right way to blog. They have such strong backlink profiles that they can get away with bad practices.”
Amanda McGrory-Dixon, burrataandbubbles.com

53. You’ll always be learning something

“I wish I had known I’d always be learning something. I love to learn but there is always something changing in the blogging world. Sometimes it’s a lot to keep up with. As an example, Google Analytics will be going through changes and there will be a new way to get information. To stay on top of my game, I need to learn how to use the new upcoming version.”
Ellen Folkman, familyaroundthetable.com

54. Beware of shiny object syndrome

“I wish I’d known how easy it is to become distracted by every shiny new thing that someone, somewhere, said was essential to success. By the time you realise, you have a hard drive full of courses and tools that you don’t even remember you have (much less have actually opened them).

Time is precious, and sometimes the ‘shiny object syndrome’ actually works against you. It’s so easy to spend way too much time looking at those shiny objects, and a lot less time actually working on your blog and/or content creation.”
Katrina Willis, bluewrenplr.com

55. Have realistic expectations

“There is a Japanese proverb that says, ‘Darkness reigns at the foot of the lighthouse.’ One thing I wish I had known was how blind I was to what I was I was doing wrong. There were obstacles in my path to success that I didn’t even know were there. In the beginning, you don’t know what you don’t know.

At the time, I was so allured by all those 0 – $40,000 in one year success stories in the e-books I read and the $500 selling online course I never completed. I wanted the freedom and not to have a boss ever again! And I felt frustrated by never having enough time to dedicate to making it happen.

Drunk on optimism, I decided to quit my full-time teaching job. I moved from Tokyo to Sapporo without another job lined up. I took a leap of faith, jumped, and my parachute never opened up. Looking back, I can clearly see I was running away from my fears.

While I focused on my passion, I burned through my entire savings in Japan. I ended up with $2 left in my bank account and owing my parents $3000.

Now I’m back where I started, teaching full-time in Tokyo, and blogging on the weekend. If only I would have thought to ask someone about what my blindspots were, I wouldn’t have made a decision based on faith alone. The thing is, we tend to hear about people’s success stories. The stories of failure are kept hidden in the dark.”
Matt Eisenhauer, eyesandhour.com

56. Running a blog is hard work (but worth it!)

“I wish I had understood how HARD it actually is to run a blog. I was naive when I started my travel blog in 2019. Other travellers managed to run a blog successfully while being on the road, so why couldn’t I? Needless to say, that I almost didn’t work on my blog for that one year abroad…

It wasn’t until 2020, when traveling was over, that I actually had the time to sit down and learn about the importance of good hosting, site speed, SEO, proper writing, tech stuff and everything that comes with blogging.

Building something from the bottom up takes an immense amount of time and patience. BUT if you put enough hard work into it, then you can most definitely build something to be proud of.”
Cecilie Mortensen, wowiwalkers.com

57. There are no short cuts

“I wish I had known that there are no short cuts and thinking blogging is a get rich quick thing . I wasted money on shiny cheap courses online and wasn’t willing to invest in my blog.

After I joined blogging groups on Facebook then that’s when I realized if I want this to be a success then I will have to do the work myself.

I used to go on Fiverr and get the cheapest person who will write recipes for me and what I found out was they will just steal someone else’s work and spin it around and get a stock photo and submit it to me. Had no clue about SEO so didn’t even check if I could rank for that particular recipe.

Now that I started afresh, I am actually more dedicated and determined to make it a successful blogging business.”
Kwabu Bee Kgarea, your-healthier-version.com

58. Blogging is a full-time job

“I wish I knew that serious blogging is a full-time job. I didn’t know that I would have to work SEO wise, take care of social media, compete with other bloggers, and please Mr. Google!”
Irina Totterman, bakinglikeachef.com

59. Don’t give up!

“I wish I would have known how important it is to keep on keeping on, even when you don’t see much growth in the beginning. I started my blog in 2015, but let it sit untouched for four years. Who knows where it would be today if I had kept working on it consistently? I learned to go all in and keep on going!”
Sandra Elio, heavenlyhomecooking.com

60. It takes time

“I wish I would have understood how long it takes a new site to get recognized by Google. It is so frustrating to put in so much effort and go months before a post gets indexed. You have to put in a lot of effort before you will start seeing results, and that can be demoralizing.

Blogging is a marathon, not a sprint, so you need to pace yourself and be patient — good things will come, just not immediately!”
Lisa Garrett, wavesandcobblestones.com

READ MORE >>> Why is my blog post not ranking?

61. Focus on activities which actually move the dial

“I wish I’d understood how to identify and channel my effort into the things that would get my closer to my goals of traffic and ultimately revenue. I wasted a lot of time and energy early on spinning my wheels on things such as social media that did not move me closer to those goals. My time is now better spent on things that do bring in more traffic, and traffic that brings in more revenue.”
Sarah Brooks, aussiehomecook.com

READ MORE >>> Blog Smarter Not Harder

Key takeaways

61 is a lot of things! If you didn’t have time to read the whole article, these are the main takeaways:

Go self-hosted from the start
Pick a good niche and a good blog name
Treat your blog like a business right from the start and invest wisely
Learn SEO and especially keyword research
Write what your audience wants to read, not what you want to write
Write lots of high-quality blog posts
Optimize your blog posts
Don’t neglect email marketing
Monetize your blog ASAP
Be consistent
Focus on activities which actually move the dial
Don’t give up too soon!

Ready to start your own money-making blog?

After reading this post, you will be a lot more clued up than most new bloggers, but if you really want to get your blog started off on the right foot, avoid all the typical newbie mistakes and get a step-by-step plan of exactly what you need to do (and in what order!), then you need to watch my free training!

Over to you!

How many of these can you identify with? Is there anything else you wish you’d known before you started blogging? Let us know in the comments below.

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4 Comments

Lisa Lizotte - Habits and Home says:

22nd May 2023 at 11:36 am

Thank you so much for this comprehensive post! I read through the entire article and found it extremely helpful to learn from other people’s mistakes. I have my own of course. I love how you laid out this post with helpful related articles. I have so much to read just from this one post. Well done and thank you!

1. Eb Gargano says:
  
  22nd May 2023 at 5:48 pm
  
  You are very welcome. Great to hear you found this article so helpful!
  
Self Care Night Ideas - Andrew Stepanov says:

28th May 2023 at 3:01 pm

Thank you for this insightful article, Eb! As a blogger, I can relate to many of the points you’ve mentioned. I particularly agree with the importance of treating a blog like a business from the start. It’s easy to treat blogging as a hobby, but if we want to see real growth and potential income, it’s crucial to approach it with a business mindset. I also appreciate the emphasis on SEO. It’s a game-changer for driving organic traffic to a blog. Lastly, the point about focusing on content over design is spot-on. While a visually appealing blog is important, quality content is what truly attracts and retains readers. Looking forward to more of your blogging wisdom!

1. Eb Gargano says:
  
  29th May 2023 at 3:45 pm
  
  Aw, that’s lovely to hear! I am so pleased you enjoyed this article so much 😀