Blogging Tips for Beginners – Things I Wish I’d Known Before Starting my Blog

**This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase from one of the links, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.**

It’s a LOT of Work

I mean, I didn’t totally realize that most of the work of maintaining a successful blog is not actually writing blog posts. What?! Initially, there’s choosing a niche, deciding which site host to use, designing the look of the site, branding, etc. Going in, I knew absolutely nothing about this. I had a lot to learn right off the bat.

Then, depending on what your goals are for your blog, you have to think about SEO, site traffic, marketing plans, etc. Thinking about all of these things can make your head spin. For real. As I began to delve deeper into the blogging world, the more I realized I may be in over my (spinning) head.

I did a ton of reading online and joined several Facebook groups for new bloggers so I could connect with people who were in the same boat as me, in hopes we could learn from each other. This has helped me incredibly. I highly recommend it.

I am now nine months in, and I still can’t say I know half of what there is to know. I would never discourage anyone from starting a blog. I’m just saying you need to be prepared to spend a good amount of time in the beginning just doing your research and practicing trial and error until you figure out what works best for you.

Pinterest, Pinterest, Pinterest

I thought Pinterest was for finding easy receipes and crafts that I will never try. Nope. Turns out if you want to drive a ton of traffic to your blog you need to PIN IT. I will admit that I didn’t even know this was a thing for bloggers.

The good news is, I find making pins to be one of my favorite parts of the blogging process. I get to be a little creative and have fun designing pins and graphics. Canva is my go-to program to use for this. I’m sure there are more out there that are great, but I find Canva to be quick and easy.

Actively Networking is a Must

If you expect people to read and share your posts, guess what? You need to read and share theirs. It’s not rocket science (even though it seems like it sometimes). I’m just saying you need to stay active and make your presence known in the blogging scene, especially among bloggers within a similar niche.

It’s so important to get your name out there and let others know that you support them. This helps to develop trust with your readers. Readers that trust what you have to say will keep coming back for more.

TIP: When you comment on other blogs, always leave your blog name and/or site address next to your comment. That way, anyone reading the comments can pay your site a visit as well!

Affiliate Marketing Ain’t Easy

I knew I wanted to monetize my blog at some point. I was probably only about a month in when I took the plunge and joined Amazon Associates. The program is fairly straighforward, and I quickly learned how to add affiliate links to my site.

The problem was, I still didn’t have much site traffic. And you need to make 3 affiliate sales within 180 days to remain in the program. That clearly wasn’t going to happen for me this early on in the game.

I definitely jumped the gun a bit on that one. But, I count it as a lesson learned. I can re-join when I feel I’m ready. There are also many other affiliate programs that do not have a minimum requirement for numbers of clicks or sales, such as ShareASale.

TIP: If you are looking to make affiliate sales, I would suggest publishing either a product review post or a list of favorite products.

Also, I wouldn’t suggest sharing links that you have not or would not personally use, or that do not fit in with your niche or audience. This goes back to maintaining readers’ trust. If you want to attract readers who come back to your site, then you need to be honest and genuine about the products you share.

You Will Fail a Little

Don’t get too discouraged if some of your posts turn out to be flops and do not gain the traffic you were hoping for. It’s going to happen. And it’s OK.

Remember that it can take some trial and error before you figure out exactly what direction you want your blog to take. You may even end up re-branding or changing your niche.

Relax. It’s all good. I still feel lost at times. We all have to start somewhere. If you put in the time and effort, your blog will improve. I promise! And let me tell you, it does feel amazingly rewarding.

You got this!