5 things you should know before starting a blog

We ALL love to get the behind-the-scenes lowdown on other people’s businesses and lives. Getting the inside track of what worked for them and what didn’t! Often learning what didn’t work for someone can save us loads of time and help us avoid the same mistakes they made. 

You don’t have to look very hard to find multiple blog posts celebrating people who have turned their blogs into a bajillion dollar business working 4 hours a week! But where are the posts which share the bumps, missteps, and setbacks? They are few and far between, so today I’m going to share 5 things you should know before starting a blog. 

Things you should know before starting a blog

I started my blog when I was sleep-deprived, anxious and I had absolutely zero ideas of what I was doing. I just figured things out as I went along.

No-one I knew in real-life blogged, so there was no-one to check in with to make sure I was doing things the right way. I learned everything I could in the time I had, but I did hit some bumps along the road which slowed down my growth. 

There a few common mistakes which can slow down your ability to grow your blog and turn it into a business. 

Don’t give up on that blog of yours! Read this post and focus on getting these things right when you’re starting a blog. I’m sure you’ll see the results and be rewarded for your efforts. 

#1 — Don’t start your blog on a free blogging site

You should definitely start as you mean to go on. So if you think you would like to earn from your blog, (even if it’s in the distant future) then you should avoid starting your blog on a free blogging site (like WordPress.com or Wix.com). You should go self-hosted (your own domain name) right from start (WordPress.org for example).

Why? Because most free sites don’t allow you to accept sponsored posts, run ads, include affiliate links, or sell ad space directly to customers. So if monetising is in your future, you need to be self-hosted. FACT!

Having a self-hosted site also looks WAY more professional, you can add a premium theme and you’ll also have a proper domain. 

When I set my blog up I had no idea about any of this, so I started on WordPress.com. After a couple of months, I had to move over to self-hosted. Switching to self-hosted isn’t the end of the world. Some web hosts will even do it for you, but if you start self-hosted it’s one less thing to worry about. I use and LOOVE Lyrical Host and you can check out the review I wrote here.

Being self-hosted means:

1. You can monetise — You can do sponsored posts, run ads and work with affiliate partners. 
2. A snazzy URL/Website Address — A professional and easier-to-remember URL. 
3. Content control — You own your content and don’t run the risk of a platform removing it. You also have control over the aesthetics.

#2 – Don’t ignore SEO 

This is a biggie! I had no idea what SEO was when I started, but pretty soon I was churning out over 15 posts a week! The result was hundreds of blog posts with no keywords or basic SEO in place. SEO is not that exciting and it can be tricky to figure out how to make certain posts discoverable, but it’s so important. There are certainly posts that aren’t worth struggling with SEO on; maybe super personal posts or sentimental ones that are primarily for your own memories. You do want the focus to be on writing for your audience, but if you understand SEO. And can incorporate some best practices more people will find your content. 

I have lots of posts to help you nail SEO: How to do keyword research,  How to use SEO keywords in a blog post and How to write SEO page titles and descriptions.

#3 – Don’t try to fix a lack of growth with a shiny new tool

So many bloggers are looking for a quick fix. They want a magic bullet that overnight makes them more successful. What makes people successful is, among other things, consistency. But consistency is hard, so people look for an easier way. Maybe that new tool would help? No tool can fix a lack of consistency or effort. You need to focus on where. You need to specifically grow and do the work to move forward. 

There is no doubt that certain expenses are unavoidable, such as your web hosting (Lyrical Host*) and email service provider (ConvertKit*). Other things can be useful and save you time (Planoly, Missinglettr, etc), but no tool can do the work for you. *affiliate links

#4 — Don’t forget to keep on top of your accounts

You have to pay tax on all of your blog earnings (via Self-assessment), but remember you can offset some of this with your blog expenses. Most things you use for your blog you can put as expenses (always check with a qualified tax accountant). Also courses that you do specifically for your blog/business can be classed as an expense. 

I’ve always been rubbish at keeping on top of the record-keeping, so each year I have to dig through receipts and emails to sort out my tax return. If I kept up with it on a weekly basis it would only take a few minutes and would save me so much time and stress. 

#5 — Don’t give up too soon!

There are very few overnight successes in the blogging world. You could be plugging away for months or years before a blog post, video or social media post gets more traction than normal and the tides turn for your blog.  

Are you ready to start your blog? This post will help you start the right way; How to start a blog.

Remember we are all still learning and finessing our craft, however successful we are.